Representation by Melanie Newcombe
- Date submitted
- 20 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The proposed location for HNRFI is in an area that is already saturated with rail and road freight locations. DIRFT (Daventry) is very close and so is the enormous new site at East Midlands Airport. Within fairly short distances from the HNRFI proposal we have DIRFT RFI, Magna Park (Europe’s largest distribution park), Prologis Park RFI, Hams Hall RFI, Birch Coppice RFI, East Midlands RFI, West Midlands RFI, Intermodal RFI (proposed). Between these locations there are miles and miles of road freight locations. We do not need more in this area. As the local market is already served by freight locations, this would mean that the ongoing HGV journeys from HNRFI would be long distance, thus cancelling any advantage of rail freight. While this plan is proposed as rail freight, it seems that the proposal is actually more of a road freight hub, in a location that is already well served. The M69 and A5 are already gridlocked with lorries. This new proposal will add to those. There is already too much traffic through the local villages – both lorries and cars – and this will also increase very significantly under these proposals. The development would cause pollution and destroy air quality, right at Burbage Common and Woods, a site where people go to enjoy the natural environment. The proposed highway improvements are insignificant and incomplete, and there would be significant impact on the level crossing at Narborough, which is unlikely to take the extra capacity.