Fears are emerging that the new Labor government could approve the controversial Hinckley rail junction

Two Tory MPs are concerned the new government plans to press ahead with a freight rail hub that will affect their areas. The Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange was a proposal from Tritax Symmetry for land south of Elmesthorpe, not far from Burbage Common, near Hinckley.

It would include new siding, 850,000 square feet of warehouses, container storage areas and truck parking. As a large and significant project, it would be up to the government to decide whether to go ahead.

Luke Evans and Alberto Costa, MPs for Hinckley and Bosworth and South Leicestershire, are concerned the plan could go ahead following a speech by chancellor Rachel Reeves. This saw her announce plans to “prioritise decisions on infrastructure projects that have been left unresolved for too long”.

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Now the two Tories are worried it means Labor could push ahead with the £750m Hinckley center despite huge opposition from residents. Dr Evans said: “Following the Chancellor’s comments about ‘prioritising’ infrastructure applications such as this, I am concerned that the new Transport Secretary’s decision on the proposed Hinckley NRFI will overlook the many shortcomings and not give due weight to the concerns considerable numbers of people around the world. Hinckley and Bosworth and South Leicestershire.”

He said people in his constituency were concerned about the impact on the local environment and Burbage Common, as well as worsening road congestion. He said: “I hope the new Labor government will not move targets to suit their agenda at the expense of our community.”

Mr Costa is also concerned. He said: “I sincerely hope that the new government will take the serious concerns that have been raised at local level into account. In South Leicestershire we already have one of the largest logistics parks in Europe and are surrounded by nearby rail freight hubs.

“The government urgently needs to come up with a strategy for strategic rail hubs, otherwise we risk having them haphazardly located across the country, destroying local communities.”

They jointly wrote to the government demanding that the views of local people should not be ignored. Earlier complaints made by MPs about Tritax Symmetry’s behavior were also mentioned. Local authorities and others “raised concerns about missing or missing shipping documents,” they said in their letter.

The government is due to make a decision on the request by Thursday, September 12.