The statutory consultation on the proposals for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange is now closed - thank you to everyone who submitted responses during the consultation period.
Welcome to the public consultation for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI). This interactive document will guide you through our proposals and ask for your feedback at the end through a short feedback form.
We are still in the design process, and the following sections set
out what we would like to do, but this is not final. We now want
help from residents, businesses and stakeholders in the local area
to provide feedback on our ideas.
The formal consultation closed on Friday 8th April 2022.
The feedback provided in this consultation will be used to influence
future design considerations.
Look out for green highlighted text like this - it will indicate interactive features on the map.
 | Hinckley NRFI site location |
| Hinckley NRFI red line boundary | |
| Rail lines |
We all rely on logistics, from the food we eat to the clothes we
wear. Logistics is the lifeblood on which the national economy
thrives. It provides the everyday essentials we take for granted for
our homes, businesses, hospitals, and leisure facilities.
We need to move items from raw material producers through production
and into our domestic supply chains to meet this demand. Every
logistics channel needs to be efficient and cost-effective;
otherwise, we may face empty shelves and stalled production lines.
However, during the pandemic, it became apparent how critical and
often fragile international and national supply chains are.
HNRFI will be a critical part of the UK's strategic freight
infrastructure, bolstering the national capacity and essential for
the regional and national economy.
| Hinckley NRFI 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) |
HNRFI is centrally located between the West Coast Main Line and the East Coast Main Line, on Network Rail's Strategic Freight line connecting the deep sea ports pf Felixstowe and London Gateway to the Midlands and the North.
The site sits within The Golden Triangle for logistics, an area of
the east and west midlands with the best access in the UK to the
rail and road freight networks.
The heart of the logistics industry
is located here, which over the last 40 years has developed due to
its central location within the national economy and the vibrant
industrial base both within it and nearby.
This has been informed by
No other terminal will be so well connected to the UK's major
ports.
Accelerated by the pandemic, the past decade has seen the logistics
sector undergo a remarkable transformation, reshaping operating
models and occupier requirements.
Technology is replacing the most routine jobs through automation and
self-driving vehicles whilst accelerating the shift towards a
higher-skilled labour force in the sector.
Previously the logistics sector jobmarket comprised a higher
proportion of managers and warehouse operatives. This has now
changed with a higher percentage of Professional and Associate
Professional and Technical roles and a lower share of more routine
occupations.
Click on the map markers to read more about the location of HNRFI.
 | Information about HNRFI location |
 | Information about the Golden Triangle and logistics in the Midlands |
| Inner Golden Triangle | |
| Wider Golden Triangle | |
| Motorways |
HNRFI’s catchment area of potential employees includes 1,036,900
people aged between 16-64 with almost 80% being economically active.
There are circa 33,000 unemployed people in the catchment area (orange on the map) with
11,200 being in the 16-24 age group.
The catchment area has a higher proportion of residents employed in the
logistics sector than the national average. This reflects the higher
proportion of opportunities in these sectors, in what is the prime
location for national logistics operations.
The area surrounding the Main HNRFI Site does not have large
concentrations of deprivation, except the south-west of Hinckley.
However, neighbouring Nuneaton and Bedworth have a few communities
in the top 10% and 20% most deprived areas, as do Coventry and
Leicester.
| Hinckley NRFI site location |
| Catchment area of potential employees | |
| 30 minute drive time from the site by car | |
| 60 minute drive time from the site by car |
The nature of Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) developments
is such that some degree of flexibility is needed when schemes are
being developed to allow the development to respond to market
requirements as they arise.
The parameters plan defines the maximum floor space and building
heights of HNRFI. It also outlines other aspects such as the size of
landscaped areas and where the rail elements and the scheme would
likely be located.
Click on the map markers to find out more about the proposed parameters for each zone.
| Hinckley NRFI red line boundary | |
| Open land / landscaping including bunding, attenuation ponds, public footpaths and bridleways and A47 Link Road and estate road infrastructure | |
| Historic woodland protection zone | |
| Watercourse | |
| Existing rail corridor | |
| Rail freight interchange including A47 Link Road and bridge infrastructure | |
| Rail corridor within development zones | |
| New Bridge Over Rail Line | |
| Development zone for site hub | |
| Line of A47 link Road and estate roads | |
| Deviation Potential to estate roads. The boundaries of zones through which a limit of deviation runs will change depending on the final alignment of the infrastructure within the limit of deviation | |
| Noise attenuation (acoustic fencing or landscape screening) | |
| Development Signage Locations | |
| Rerouting of existing linkage from Bridge Farm to new highway infrastructure | |
| Development Zones | |
 | Zone parameters |
Please note: The illustrative masterplan shows one way that the project could be delivered within the parameters defined in the previous section.
Tritax Symmetry (Hinckley) Ltd is bringing forward proposals for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI) at junction 2 of the M69. The scheme is considered to be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).
The site will include the delivery of:
Click on the map markers to read more about the proposals and to view illustative images of how the proposals may look.
 | Illustrative images of the proposals |
| Information about the proposals |
Only a small percentage of goods imported to and exported from the
UK go via air; everything else is moved via ships or by rail through
the Channel Tunnel.
Rail freight is the most efficient mode of transport to deal with
high volumes of containerised goods, with one train taking around
50+ HGVs movements off the road network.
The shortage of HGV drivers available to do long haul routes means
increasing the capacity of the rail freight infrastructure is
critical to maintaining and growing the region's economy.
There is a huge advantage for businesses located on or very close to
a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange. They can minimise the delivery
cost between the railport and their business, making the rail
proposition much better than using HGVs.
To view the formal consultation documents for the Strategic Importance of Rail section,
please click here.Click on the map markers to view photos of how the site may look in operation.
| Illustrative photos of how the site may look |
Rail freight services are hugely more environmentally friendly than
HGVs at 35% of the environmental equivalent impact of running an
HGV.
As the economy moves further online with consumers buying goods and
services directly from providers, more stock has to be held in
centralised logistics buildings and delivered door to door in
smaller consignments rather than stored on shop shelves.
The change provides an opportunity for rail to reduce the overall
environmental impact of logistics nationally. Transporting goods to
and from ports and between regions in containers via rail is an
immediate win.
The potential for rail-based express services to trunk parcel and
roller cage deliveries by rail into stations is the next step in
securing even more environmental benefits of rail freight.
HNRFI is future-proofed by design.
To view the formal consultation documents for the Positive Benefits of HNRFI section,
please click here.Click on the map markers to read more about the positive benefits of HNRFI.
The proposed access to the site will be via the M69 Junction 2, with an additional arm into the site. As part of the access, the following infrastructure is proposed:
The A47 link road will link Junction 2 of the M69 through the
site, crossing the railway via a bridge, connecting to the B4668 (Leicester Road)
and ultimately the A47.
The road through the site is designed as a dual carriageway between
the M69 Junction 2 and the site access (approximately 990 metres)
and as a single carriageway between the site access and the B4668
(Leicester Road) to the west of the site (approximately 1,500
metres).
Across the strategic modelled area, 38 junctions were reviewed in
detail for impacts from the development. Of these eight required
junction upgrades to improve capacity and safety, two locations also
were identified to introduce traffic calming or public realm
interventions.
For more information on the Transport Working Group, Eastern Villages Bypass, Strategic Road Network Interfaces and Narborough Crossing,
please click here.To view the formal consultation documents for the Local and wider highway improvements section,
please click here.Click on a map marker to find out more about the proposed physical works.
| Hinckley NRFI red line boundary | |
 | Junctions assessed |
 | Physical works proposed |
| Motorways |
Sustainable access has been considered for staff and contractors
employed at the site. The location is close to several key
settlements within a 5km radius. This presents an excellent
opportunity for employees to use active travel modes to access the
site.
A wide range of Public Rights of Way (PRoW) are present within the
site and its surrounding area, and there is good provision of
informal open space.
The PRoW strategy for the site has identified a capacity for
improvement in terms of connectivity, maintenance and better
signposting. The key proposals at this stage are shown on the map.
To view the formal consultation documents for the Sustainable Travel section,
please click here.
Click on the map markers to find out more about the key proposals
for the public rights of way in and around the site.
Zoom out and pan the map to view cycle connections to Hinckley,
Leicester and Nuneaton.
| Hinckley NRFI red line boundary | |
| Key PRoW proposals |
 | Proposed new bridleway |
 | Proposed new footpath |
 | Existing bridleway |
 | Existing footpath |
 | Local cycle routes |
 | Cycleway |
 | Cycle lane |
 | National Cycle Network |
A comprehensive assessment of the project’s environmental effects
has been undertaken. This work is helping the design team to
understand how the project could affect local amenities and identify
measures to avoid or reduce significant adverse effects.
A wide range of measures are proposed, including:
Many of the more significant environmental effects would arise temporarily during the construction phase of the development. In response, it is proposed to implement a comprehensive range of control plans covering:
To view the formal consultation documents for the Landscape & The Environment section,
please click here.Click on a map marker to view images of how the site surroundings currently look and how they may look 15 years after completion.
| Hinckley NRFI red line boundary | |
| Images of how the site surroundings currently look and how they may look 15 years after completion |
Our proposals for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange
(HNRFI) have been informed by regional and national policies
alongside guidance documents.
These documents explain why strategic freight infrastructure is
essential for the regional and national economy.
Click on a map marker to read more about that policy document. You will then have the option to download the document to read it in full.
 | Find out more about a policy document |
This statutory consultation process will ran from
Wednesday 12th January until Friday 8th April 2022.
It follows the non-statutory consultations on the proposals
undertaken between October and December 2018 and a focused highways
consultation held between July and September 2019.
Since the previous consultations were held, significant further
technical and environmental work on the proposals has been
undertaken. Consequently, this round of statutory consultation will
provide information on our more developed proposals, including
infrastructure and mitigation requirements.
After this statutory consultation period, your feedback will be
reviewed and considered as the application is prepared to be
submitted to the Planning Inspectorate later in the year.
Click on a map marker to find out more about the consultation process.
 | Find out more about the consultation process |
The statutory consultation on the proposals for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange is now closed - thank you to everyone who submitted responses during the consultation period.
Thank you for taking the time to understand our proposals for the
Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI).
We would love to hear your thoughts on the project by clicking the
green button below and completing a short survey.
The consultation will ended on Friday 8th April 2022.
| Hinckley NRFI site location |
| Hinckley NRFI red line boundary |
The project team can be contacted in the following ways:
A link to the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange website will also be available on the project's social media platforms:
Facebook (Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange – HNRFI)
Twitter (@hinckleyNRFI)
Instagram (hinckleynationalrailfreight)An
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