A formal decision on a £550m rail freight hub in the west Leicestershire countryside could be made in the summer of 2024 – assuming a planning inspector doesn’t throw it out next month.
Tritax Symmetry wants to build the 440 acre Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange between Hinckley and the tiny village of Elmesthorpe.
The huge complex would be linked to the Leicester to Birmingham railway line, and be big enough to accommodate up to 16 half a mile long trains a day. The developer says it could eventually create 8,400 jobs, and have a new slip-road onto the M69.
The plans have attracted criticism from MPs and people living in the area who are concerned about the scale – the buildings would cover more than 9 million sq ft and be up to 91ft high.
In 2019 South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa wrote to 11,000 constituents for their views. He said that almost 1,600 people – of 2,000 that replied – were against it.
Blaby District Council said Tritax Symmetry has now submitted its application for the scheme to the Planning Inspectorate.
The council said it has 14 days to comment on whether it believes the developer’s earlier consultation was adequate, then the inspectorate will have until March 6 to decide if the application can continue.
The council can’t stop the plans, but is included in the consultation. Because the scheme is so big it will be ultimately decided by the Secretary of State for Transport.
If the next stage of the application is accepted, there will be a six-month-long examination phase, including hearings, towards the end of the year, with a decision expected by the middle of next year.
Blaby District Council leader Coun Terry Richardson said: “This application has been a long time coming and the source of great concern for many residents in our district.
“Since it was mooted, the Council has worked tirelessly to engage with the developer and critique their plans, for example raising strong concerns during the consultation period last year.
"There will be lots of information to review and comment on throughout this year.
“However, I can assure residents that the council has dedicated significant resources to assessing these proposals and we will not shy away from making our views known in the strongest possible terms – starting with commenting on the adequacy of last year’s consultation process.”
