MP: Rail hub would up risk to countryside

Jeremy Lefroy, MP for Stafford, has joined South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson in opposing plans from Four Ashes to build a 618 acre rail interchange in Gailey.

In a seven page letter hitting out at the plans, Mr Lefroy warned the plans 'would be so considerable that it would have the effect of changing Green Belt policy in South Staffordshire and the West Midlands as a whole'.

He also claims that if approved, Green Belt land would be left vulnerable as it would 'open the door to widespread challenges to the integrity' of the Green Belt.

In his letter, sent as part of the recently closed consultation over the plans, Mr Lefroy also said he believed that 'two or more' smaller rail hubs would benefit the region more than the one proposed, as well as claiming the increase in traffic may lead to a higher amount of accidents on roads and asking that HGVs are not allowed to use roads that are already nearly full to capacity.

He said: "I make it clear at the outset that I am opposed to these proposals.

"The loss of Green Belt land should this proposal be permitted would be so considerable that it would have the effect of changing Green Belt policy in South Staffordshire and the West Midlands as a whole.

"It would potentially open the door to widespread challenges to the integrity of Green Belt from housing and industrial developments.

"On the grounds of the very substantial use of Green Belt land alone, this proposal should be rejected.

"It would in effect change national policy on Green Belt which should only be done by Parliament, not by the Secretary of State."

The multi-million pound scheme would see 700 acres of Staffordshire countryside transformed into a rail terminal with 3,000 lorries a day entering and leaving the site.

Campaigners say the scheme would cause irreversible damage to the countryside and would be an incursion on the green belt. They also argue that traffic will dramatically clog up the roads.

But the developers say 8,500 jobs will be created, boosting the local economy by £400 million a year.

As well as Mr Lefroy, South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson has repeatedly voiced his concerns over the plans.

Mr Williamson held a referendum in the area to gauge public opinion on the scheme, receiving just over 1,400 responses in which 99% of residents agreed that the application should be rejected by the Planning Inspectorate once it is officially submitted.

He said: "I hope that our voices are well and truly heard by Four Ashes Ltd. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful constituency; it is deeply unfair that developers are completely disregarding our countryside and way of life when submitting these applications."