Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has approved the development of the East Midlands Gateway Rail Freight Interchange near East Midlands Airport, a rail freight hub and warehouse complex.
Developer Roxhill has previously said the hub will handle the equivalent of up to 1,800 lorries a day and act as an “inland port”. The company also said the East Midlands Gateway was centrally located – close to the motorway and airport – and had easy access to major deep sea ports.
But an independent planning committee recommended refusal because: not all warehouses would be connected to the rail network; the warehouses would be built and operational before the rail connection; and there are no long-term plans to increase rail connections. Minister of State for Transport, Robert Goodwill, acting on behalf of the transport secretary, disagreed with the panel, concluding it did fit within national guidelines.
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