SRFI UPDATE
Late last month, I met with representatives from the two SRFI action groups – Stop Rail Central and Stop Northampton Gateway – to discuss how best the community can continue to engage with both developments.
As residents will be aware, despite everyone’s best efforts, Northampton Gateway SRFI was granted a Development Consent Order last year, and will now be brought forward. I know how disappointed many people are about this decision. I worked hard for several years to represent the concerns and objections from the communities affected by Northampton Gateway, including engaging at every opportunity with the planning application process to formally lodge residents’ views, however the Planning Inspectorate made the recommendation that this SRFI should be green-lit. Our attention has now turned to ensuring that the developer – Roxhill – complies fully with its planning obligations, and that the community maximises the compensation and mitigation that is being made available.
Ashfield Land’s application for its Rail Central SRFI was withdrawn in October last year after the Planning Inspectorate refused to grant its request to delay the start of the formal examination process.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.
At the meeting on the 24th January, the leaders of the two action groups and I considered how we can best work together within the community to prepare for Ashfield Land to resubmit Rail Central as an SRFI application, and to hold Roxhill to account for its Northampton Gateway development. I will be writing to Network Rail to seek their views on their West Coast Main Line strategy, now that Northampton Gateway has been approved, and to seek answers on several technical questions as requested by the action groups. We are also seeking a meeting with the Rail Minister to continue the earlier discussions we have had with the Department for Transport on national rail freight policy, particularly the National Policy Statement for National Networks and whether the guidance on SRFIs can be improved.
Finally, I have proposed that we constitute a South Northants SRFI Liaison Group to allow the community to speak with one voice on the two SRFI proposals. This would bring together the two action groups, all three local authorities (prior to unitary), representatives from various statutory bodies and industry groups, as well as the affected parish councils, and provide a platform for us to hold Ashfield Land and Roxhill to account.
The group would be similar to the South Northants HS2 Liaison Group that I set up many years ago, which still meets regularly and involves stakeholders at all levels in questioning HS2 Ltd and ensuring transparency and accountability on their proposals locally. Whilst Roxhill has a responsibility under the Development Consent Order to constitute their own liaison group, my view is that a community-owned process that looks at both SRFIs together would perhaps achieve better outcomes.
As ever, please do not hesitate to get in touch if I can be of any assistance on this or any other matter.
