Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange
Latest update
The Examination concluded on Tuesday 12 March 2024. The Examining Authority are now preparing a report for the Secretary of State for Transport, over a 3-month period. This report will recommend whether the application should be approved or refused. It is expected that from the close of Examination a final decision on the application by the Secretary of State for Transport will take 6 months to be issued and is therefore expected in September 2024.
Immediately prior to the closing of the Examination, the Council submitted its Deadline 8 response to the Examining Authority. This Deadline consisted of the BDC’s response to the Applicant’s Deadline 7 submissions and comments on the Applicant’s draft Development Consent Order. Additionally, the Council submitted a Summary and Signposting document that outlined the Council’s overall position at the conclusion of Examination. All documents that have been submitted so far can be found on the Council’s website using reference 22/3000/HNRFI.
The Applicant has provided a Book of Reference which can be viewed at the Blaby District Council Offices at Main Reception during the Councils normal opening hours. The Book of Reference sets out who has been identified as having a legal interest in land within the project boundary or in a location that may be affected by the proposed scheme.
Local Impact Report and Written Representation links
All the Council's previous formal responses can be viewed on our planning applications web page by using the proposal's dedicated Council reference 22/3000/HNRFI. A full copy of all the Examination documents can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website using the link at the bottom of this page.
What is the HNRFI?
A proposed multi-purpose freight interchange and distribution centre in the south of the District of Blaby. The proposals include:
- New rail infrastructure providing access to a series of parallel sidings
- Intermodal freight terminal 'railport' capable of accommodating up to 16 trains of up to 775 meters in length
- Hard surfaced areas for container storage
- Up to 850,000 square meters of warehousing and ancillary buildings with a total footprint of 650,000 square meters and up to 200,000 square meters of mezzanine floorspace
- Lorry park with welfare facilities and fuel filling station
- Energy centre incorporating an electricity substation, a gas-fired combined heat and power plant, battery capacity and roof-mounted photovoltaic arrays
- Terrain remodelling, hard and soft landscape works, amenity water features and planting
- Noise attenuation measures consisting of acoustic barriers up to 6 meters in height
- Pedestrian, equestrian and cycle access routes and infrastructure
- M69 update works including additional northbound and southbound slip roads
- Link road from M69 junction 2 to the B4668/A47 Leicester Road
Where is it?
The site is south west of the village of Elmesthorpe and next to Burbage Common. It is predominantly within the boundary of Blaby District with a section of the new A47 link road within the boundary of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.
Who is deciding this application?
The development is considered to be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. As such, the Council will act as a statutory consultee in the process and will not be responsible for determining the application.
A formal application has been made by Tritax Symmetry (formerly DB Symmetry) to the Secretary of State for Transport for a Development Consent Order. While the Secretary of State makes the final decision, the Examination process is administered by the Planning Inspectorate. A link to the Planning Inspectorate's website is provided at the bottom of the page, which is the best place for information and updates on the application.
The Examination will close by 12 March 2024 and a decision is expected by mid-September 2024.
The project is currently in the acceptance stage. The application process is made up of:
- Formal consultation 12 January - 8 April 2022
- Submission of application 6 February 2023
- Withdrawal of application 2 March 2023
- Resubmission of application 17 March 2023
- Acceptance decision by 13 April 2023
- Pre-examination (including pre-examination meeting) April 2023 until 12 September 2023
- Examination (lasting for 6 months) 12 September 2023 until 12 March 2024
- Recommendation and decision estimated mid to late 2024