South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa has hailed the ‘extraordinary’ response from over 1,500 households who have completed his recent survey and Parliamentary Petition asking residents across ten villages for their views on the plans for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI).
The MP sent a new survey and Parliamentary Petition on Friday 24th February to all households on the electoral roll in the following villages - Elmesthorpe, Stoney Stanton, Sapcote, Sharnford, Huncote, Croft, Aston Flamville, Potters Marston, Wigston Parva and Thurlaston.
The survey return period closed on Monday 20th March, with the MP’s office receiving 1,555 returned surveys representing a 25.9% response rate.
Alberto has said that his office will now process the results of the survey and will soon write back to all respondents before taking the results forward in Parliament with the formal presentation of a Petition in the House of Commons.
The planning application for the 440-acre site, proposed for construction near to the village of Elmesthorpe, was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by developers Tritax Symmetry on Monday 6th March – the plans include 850,000 sq.m of warehouse space with the rail interchange able to accommodate up to 16 trains per day.
Alberto has long opposed the plans for the HNRFI mentioning the site’s potential to overburden local infrastructure, the environmental impact on nearby Burbage Common and the effect it will have on the level crossing at Narborough Train Station.
The MP has previously led debates in the House of Commons on the plans for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI) and has joined with Dr Luke Evans, MP for Bosworth, in recently meeting with the Rail Minister to discuss the Government policy about the placement of new Rail Freight Interchanges.
Alberto said, “I am hugely grateful to all those constituents in the ten villages that have very kindly taken the time to respond to my recent survey and Parliamentary Petition asking for their views on the proposals for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI). It is quite extraordinary that over 1,500 households have completed and returned my survey meaning over a quarter of all households in the surrounding area have responded back to my office. The huge number of responses here only serves to underline the very grave concerns many of my constituents have over the HNRFI plans”.
Alberto added, “My office will now be working very hard over the next few weeks to process the results of this survey and petition, and we will soon be writing back to all respondents to share the results of the survey and to outline the next steps I will be taking on the behalf of my constituents. I have consistently stood up for local residents in Parliament on this issue over the years, and I very much look forward to taking the results of this survey and formally presenting a Petition in the House of Commons to demonstrate the strength of feeling local people have in opposing this unwanted and unnecessary development”.
