Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, is to lead a debate in the House of Commons next week in order to discuss the proposal for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI).
Alberto's debate in Westminster Hall, which is due to take place on Tuesday afternoon, follows a recent survey undertaken by his office sent to over 11,000 residents in the Fosse Villages - Elmesthorpe, Stoney Stanton, Sapcote, Sharnford, Croft, Huncote, Aston Flamville, Potters Marson and Wigston Parva – in which he asked for their views on the planned development.
The 440-acre site is proposed for construction to the south of the village of Elmesthorpe and would have rail access to the existing Leicester – Birmingham railway line. Concerns have been raised about the site’s proximity to the local nearby nature reserve of Burbage Common and the lack of appropriate infrastructure to accommodate the 8,000 new employees should the development be approved by the Secretary of State for Transport.
Alberto said, “The proposal for the Hinckley Rail Hub, is quite understandably, of huge concern to my constituents in the Fosse Villages and beyond, hence why I am very pleased to being taking this matter forward in the House of Commons. The tremendous size and scale of these plans would have a massive impact on the local area, both in terms of the extra traffic it would bring, but also its impact on the local environment. The site is currently beautiful, rolling Leicestershire countryside home to many different species of wildlife and with the site of Special Scientific Interest at nearby Burbage Wood, it would almost certainly have a detrimental impact on local biodiversity”.
Blaby District Councilor for the Stanton & Flamville ward, Cllr Sheila Scott, added, “I am delighted that Alberto will be taking this important issue forward in the House of Commons. The proposed development of the Rail Freight Interchange will have a detrimental impact on the Fosse Villages; in part due to the many unanswered questions around traffic, housing and the environment. The big increase in HGVs will only exacerbate the existing congestion affecting the Fosse Villages and so many residents are very concerned”.
Alberto concluded, “I very much forward to raising the concerns of my constituents at the very highest levels of Government on Tuesday afternoon, while I appreciate these plans are in an early stage at present, it is imperative that my constituent’s views are heard before any decisions are made on this development. I know Blaby District Council share many resident’s concerns about these plans, and so I will continue to work closely with the brilliant District Councilors for the Fosse Villages, local stakeholders and of course the local community to continue opposing these plans”.
Alberto is pictured above speaking in the House of Commons.
