Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Hinckley and Bosworth, has urged the Labour Government not to deviate from protocols and policy in light of the Chancellor’s speech on growth and the proposed Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (NRFI).
Dr Evans, MP for the area since December 2019, said the “Labour Government shouldn’t push through their growth agenda on the backs of people in Hinckley and Bosworth.”
In the House of Commons on Thursday 30th January Dr Evans reiterated concerns raised with him by people in Hinckley and Bosworth that the Chancellor’s recent comments on “prioritising” large scale infrastructure projects could lead to the proposed Hinckley NRFI being pushed through despite serious concerns over the rail hub’s submissions, and impact on roads, safety, and the local environment, particularly Burbage Common.
The GP-turned-MP called on the Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell MP, to ensure the new Transport Secretary follows protocols for decision-making on large infrastructure projects and heeds the Planning Inspectorate’s previous recommendation to reject the Development Consent Order.
Dr Luke Evans and Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire where the HNRFI risks being built, have repeatedly raised concerns around the missing or insufficient evidence that has been submitted as part of the proposal and which, the MP says, “have fundamentally undermined the Hinckley NRFI’s validity.”
The Transport Secretary’s final decision on the proposed Hinckley NRFI is expected to be made by, or before, 10th March 2025.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Dr Evans said “A rail freight interchange is being proposed near Hinckley and Burbage in my constituency. Before Christmas, the Planning Inspectorate passed its judgment on it and the then Transport Secretary, said she was “minded to refuse” the application. However, in an unprecedented decision, the Department extended the call for further information, which closes [on 7th February]. After yesterday’s speech from the Chancellor, there is growing concern among my community that the project might be greenlighted.
“In the light of that, while I know that the Leader of the House cannot comment specifically on that case, will she write to the new Transport Secretary to make sure that all protocols are followed as they are written? May we have a debate in Government time on having a joined-up national strategy on rail freight interchanges and where they are placed?”
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Hinckley and Bosworth, added “After the Chancellor’s comments about ‘prioritising’ infrastructure applications such as this, I am concerned that the Transport Secretary’s decision on the proposed Hinckley NRFI will overlook the many deficiencies with this application and not give due weight to the considerable concerns of people across our area.
“The Labour Government must not overlook a clearly flawed freight terminal that the independent Planning Inspectorate have already said this project should be refused.
“If this decision is to be green lighted, it will be hard not to think the new Government’s change of policy is behind the project being accepted, not the merits of the project itself - which we know to be flawed.
“I’d like to thank all those in the community who have helped fight this application and exposed the flaws in the proposal, lets hope the new Transport Secretary has the same thoughts as the last, and actually refuses it once and for all.”
Alberto Costa, Member of Parliament for South Leicestershire, said “I understand that the Labour Government is desperate to push through new development, but as the Planning Inspectorate has made clear, the costs of the HNRFI vastly outweigh the benefits.
“Residents are overwhelmingly against it, the Planning Inspectorate has recommended its rejection, and there is very little basis for the Government to give this the green light. Doing so would disregard legitimate concerns and years of detailed scrutiny into the true cost of these proposals. I encourage all interested parties to make their voices heard and make a submission to the Secretary of State before the 7th February deadline.
“The applicant's modelling has been wholly inadequate - failing to properly assess congestion, using flawed traffic projections, and downplaying serious safety concerns. Their recent submissions have only made things worse, with errors, omissions, and a lack of real mitigation for affected communities.”
