The petition of residents of the constituency of South Leicestershire,
Declares that the construction of the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange goes against wishes of some constituents in South Leicestershire, further notes the potential detrimental impact it may have on the local environment, infrastructure, and surrounding communities.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take into account the concerns of the petitioners and take immediate action to ensure that the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange is not built.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Alberto Costa, Official Report, 17 October 2023; Vol. 738, c. 294.]
[P002843]
Observations from the Minister of State, Department for Transport (Huw Merriman):
This scheme is subject to an application for a development consent order that was submitted on 17 March 2023 by Tritax Symmetry (Hinckley) Ltd to the Planning Inspectorate, and was accepted for examination on 13 April 2023. The examination opened on 12 September 2023 and is currently due to close on 12 March 2024.
We would encourage you and your constituents to participate in the examination and raise all concerns with the Planning Inspectorate directly to ensure that they are fully accounted for.
Once the examination closes, there is a period of three months for a report and recommendation to be prepared and submitted to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will then have a period of three months in which to make a decision on whether to grant or refuse development consent.
As my Department will be deciding this application, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the merits of the project at this stage.