South Leicestershire MP, Alberto Costa, has expressed his concern at recently announced plans by developers, DB Symmetry, to construct a new logistics site with an accompanying rail freight terminal located to the south of the village of Elmesthorpe.
The plans which were recently unveiled by DB Symmetry, would cover a site of almost 500 acres and would include a 1.5 million square foot warehouse which, if constructed, would become Leicestershire’s largest building.
Alberto said, “I am extremely concerned at the developer’s plans for this gigantic logistics park to the south of Elmesthorpe, located close to Junction 2 of the M69, in my constituency. My office has already been contacted by a very large number of constituents regarding this matter and they too have expressed their deep concerns about the potential impact on local roads, the surrounding environment and other local infrastructure. Until just a week or so ago, there appeared to be very little in the way of public consultation on this matter, and it is simply unacceptable that my constituents are being given very little consideration in this case”.
Mr Michael Lee, Chair of the Fosse Villages Neighbourhood Plan, also said, “Villages like Sharnford, Aston Flamville, Sapcote and Stoney Stanton will be overwhelmed by employee and service traffic. DB Symmetry proposes opening Coventry facing slip roads at M69 Junction 2 for HNRFI truck traffic. In 1970 the Secretary of State for Transport absolutely refused to allow their construction due to the inadequacy of the local road system even then. There has been absolutely no subsequent road improvement. Add 8,400 employees daily being drawn to the HNRFI facility from a very wide area and you have a traffic, pollution and safety disaster which will utterly destroy the environment of our villages. The developers must re-examine the practical access needs for this facility, and their own under investment driven greed”.
Alberto added, “I too only received notification of this development in a letter from DB Symmetry a few weeks ago, and I was rather disappointed with the contents of that letter which provided very little detail. As a result of this, I have urgently written to the Managing Director of DB Symmetry inviting him to a meeting in Westminster so that we can discuss this proposal in greater detail. Since my election in 2015, I have been working very closely with the Sharnford Traffic Action Group (STAG) and Sharnford Parish Council to address the troublesome traffic issues that many of the Fosse Villages experience and as such, it is of paramount importance that both I and my constituents fully understand the proposals before us”.