Many constituents have contacted me regarding the future of SRFI in South Northamptonshire. 

I met virtually with SEGRO this month, and they have committed to regular meetings with me and local stakeholders. Legally, they are unable to go back on any of the commitments made in the DCO which permits the development of distribution buildings with a footprint of around 5 million square feet. Construction on the Development will begin in January 2021, with works to the A508 adjacent to the Development, M1 Junction 15 and works on the A45 east of Junction 15 scheduled to be completed in Summer 2022.  Construction of the major warehouse buildings are due to commence in Spring 2022 and are likely to be completed by 2027 and the rail terminal will be available for use by January 2023.

Last week, SEGRO, Collingtree Parish Council representatives, SNC and NCC held a virtual meeting of the first community liaison group to agree terms of reference, roles and how often the group will meet. This was a positive meeting, and all are keen to engage with the local community. I will be attending these meetings in my role as your local MP and will continue to keep constituents updated on their progress. 

Constituents have similarly contacted me regarding the Ashfield SRFI proposals. Ashfield Land’s application for its Rail Central SRFI was withdrawn in October last year after the Planning Inspectorate refused to grant its request to delay the start of the formal examination process. The Preliminary Meeting had been deferred once already, due to problems with Ashfield Land’s technical submissions, and the Inspectorate felt it unduly burdensome to expect residents to endure protracted uncertainty. I entirely welcomed this decision, and was pleased to have supported the community in calling for the extension to be rejected.

This is a big win for the Stop Rail Central group and its strong campaign- congratulations to all those who gave so much time and energy to defend their local community!