Hinckley | Tritax Big Box

Hinckley RFI Site Location

Key ports

Channel Tunnel Connection

East Coast Main Line (illustrative)

West Coast Main Line (illustrative)

Felixstowe to Nuneaton Main Line (illustrative)

Other Main Line (illustrative)

Future Main Line (illustrative)

Hinckley RFI Site Location

Key ports

Channel Tunnel Connection

East Coast Main Line (illustrative)

West Coast Main Line (illustrative)

Felixstowe to Nuneaton Main Line (illustrative)

Other Main Line (illustrative)

Future Main Line (illustrative)

Overview

Located in the heart of the midlands, Hinckley National Rail Freight interchange represents an investment in Leicestershire, the future, and the local environment.

Our Development Consent Order (DCO) was accepted for examination on 13th April 2023. The DCO will move through the subsequent stages and more information can be found on the Planning Inspectorate's website here.

We have submitted proposals for a rail freight interchange and distribution hub between the Leicester-to-Hinckley railway to the north-west, and the M69 motorway to the south-east. It will be one of the most important infrastructure projects for the region’s connectivity.

Not just a new rail freight interchange, but new roads and transport connections to link up the towns and villages to help reduce congestion in Hinckley and the surrounding area. No other rail freight terminals are connected to this line currently.

We hope to make a once-in-a-lifetime investment of over £750 million of private investment to help Leicestershire thrive by delivering thousands of local jobs with many more sustained through the supply chain, new roads and transport connections to link up the towns and villages that surround the area, and a cleaner, greener environment across the region and the country by removing lorries off the roads.

Key Benefits

Improving connections for Leicestershire’s communities

Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange will bring people and places closer together with additional slip roads at J2 of M69 and a new 2km link road connecting to the B4468 and onto the A47, helping reduce congestion in central Hinckley and improve connections to Barwell, Earl Shilton and beyond.

Removing lorries from local roads, by switching from road to rail

Running up to 16 freight trains a day will mean a huge switch from road to rail. Each one will remove up to 76 lorries from our roads.

Protecting the local environment with new green spaces

Creating a new 50 acre green park we’re proposing calling ‘Bridge Farm Parkland’, filled with over 20,000 newly planted trees, providing new habitats for wildlife and with a network of paths and bridleways that connect to Burbage Common.

Delivering thousands of new jobs and skills for the Midlands

Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange could unlock over 8,400 jobs for local people, and brand-new apprenticeships, driving growth and investment in skills for the region’s young people.

Placing residents at the heart of the project

Over the past few years, we’ve undertaken three rounds of consultation, issued thousands of letters to local communities, held multiple face-to-face meetings and spoken with businesses, politicians and vulnerable groups. As a result, we’ve amended the plans, and will continue ensuring that the voices of local residents are heard.

Our Development Consent Order (DCO) was accepted for examination on 13th April 2023.

The DCO will move through the subsequent stages and more information can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website here.

The submitted proposals include:

Over £70 million allocated to improving local infrastructure to alleviate and ease congestion including:

A 2km link road including rail bridge, from Junction 2 of the M69 to the B4668 and onto the A47, alleviating traffic in Hinckley and Burbage and allowing direct access to Barwell, Earl Shilton and beyond
New off and on slip roads for northbound and southbound traffic respectively added to Junction 2 M69 allowing direct access to HNRFI and easement of traffic

Creation of a new 50-acre park we’re proposing calling ‘Bridge Farm Parkland’ covered with over 20,000 newly planted trees and habitats for wildlife, which connects directly with Burbage Common through a network of paths and bridleways

An extension to the X6 bus route that connects the site to Leicester and Coventry via several stops across the site

A new rail freight terminal and rail infrastructure which can accommodate up to 16 trains a day: a significant volume of goods switched from road to rail meaning saving around 70,120 CO2e each year

State-of-the-art logistics buildings, with lorry park and yards to store imported containers from the trains. The buildings will be carbon net zero in construction, with solar panels that can generate over 40 megawatts of electricity enough to help power the entire site

Planning Process Timeline

Q1 2023

DCO Application Submission and Acceptance and Stages

Our application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange was accepted on 13th April 2023. The Planning Inspectorate now has approximately three months to prepare for the Examination.

Q2 2023 - Q3 2023

Pre-Examination

At this stage, the public will be able to register with the Planning Inspectorate to become an Interested Party by making a Relevant Representation. An Examining Authority is also appointed at this stage and all Interested Parties will be invited to attend a Preliminary Meeting run and chaired by the Examining Authority. This stage usually takes 3 months.

Q3 2023 - Q1 2024

Examination

The Planning Inspectorate has up to 6 months to carry out the examination. During this stage members of the public who have registered by making a Relevant Representation are invited to provide more details of their views in writing.

Q2 2024

Recommendation

The Planning Inspectorate must prepare a report on the application to the Secretary of State for Transport, including a recommendation, within three months of the close of the 6-month Examination Stage.

Q3 2024

Decision

The relevant Secretary of State then has 3 months to make the decision on whether to grant or refuse the development consent.

As a result, we’ve amended the plans, and will continue speaking with local people to raise awareness of our proposals and to work together to address concerns.

We’re committed to investing in Leicestershire, investing in our future, and investing in our environment. We’re not here for the short-haul, but the long-term, and we’re confident our project will deliver great opportunities for local communities, with jobs and skills, improved roads, and cleaner air across the region.

Below is more information on the consultation we have undertaken and important documents we showed to the public as part of our engagement. If you’d like to speak to the project team or have any questions, please contact us here.

22nd Oct – 7th Dec 2018

1. Informal consultation

We undertook a first round of informal pre-application consultation in late 2018, both with statutory consultees, political representatives, community groups, persons with interest in the land, and the community within a zone approximately 3km around the proposed site boundary. The consultation was promoted with direct mail, site notices, public notices, press releases, and social media advertisements.

The consultation comprised eight public exhibitions at venues accessible to the local communities with a range of dates and times. Attendees could submit their feedback via a questionnaire on the website, a paper questionnaire at the public exhibition, via a Community Information Phone Line, dedicated email address, or via post.

8th July - 6th Sept 2019

2. Informal Highways Consultation

A second informal consultation exercise was undertaken in 2019, focussing on potential road effects on local towns and villages, both from the HNRFI development and from the addition of the south-facing slips at Junction 2 of the M69. We explored options to address community concerns about highway impacts through various highway mitigation options.

We promoted the consultation via press releases, direct mail, site notices, public notices and social media advertisements. A total of six public exhibitions were held at various dates, times and venues to maximise public participation. Attendees could submit their feedback via a questionnaire on the website, a paper questionnaire at the public exhibition, via a Community Information Phone Line, a dedicated email address, or via post.

12th Jan – 8th April 2022

3. Formal Consultation

We concluded our formal statutory consultation where we presented our revised proposals to the public and stakeholders. We then entered a process of reviewing all the feedback we received to enabling us to finalise our proposal prior to the submission of our application for a Development Consent Order.

Tritax Symmetry hosted two webinars during the consultation