As many constituents have been in touch with me in recent weeks about the two proposed Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges in South Northamptonshire, Rail Central and Northampton Gateway, I have arranged with Roade Parish Council to hold a public meeting so that local residents can give voice to their concerns.

The developers of both sites, Ashfield Land and Roxhill respectively, have been invited by the Parish Council to attend so that they can outline their proposals in more detail and receive feedback from the affected communities. I held a similar meeting in March last year in Blisworth, organised by Mark Redding and the Local Action Group, to discuss the Rail Central plans – it was very well attended by people from the village and wider area. I remain in frequent contact with the LAG and am meeting with them again in the coming weeks; in addition, I have responded to the initial consultations for the two proposals and met with the developers and Network Rail to raise residents’ concerns directly. You can learn more about what I’ve been doing on this, including reading my submissions, in the SRFI section of my website.

The public meeting will be on Friday 21st April from 7.30pm in Roade Village Hall (Bailey Brooks Lane, Roade, Northampton, NN7 2LS). If you are interested in attending please contact Fiona Young, Parish Clerk at Roade Parish Council, at clerk@roadeparishcouncil.co.uk or on 01604 861976 to confirm your attendance.

I look forward to seeing you there. As ever, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if I can be of help on this or any other issue.