A controversial new freight terminal near East Midlands Airport is to provide thousands of jobs, including in the construction sector.
The East Midlands Gateway Rail Freight Interchange will include over 55,000 sq m of warehouse space, with the capacity to host goods trains of up to 775 m in length.
A new rail link is planned to connect the terminal to the Castle Donington line, while new roads and an enhanced Junction 24 on the M1 are also planned by developer Roxhill.
The developer said the new terminal will act like an 'inland port' and provide 7,000 permanent jobs, but the decision of the government to give the plan the green light is a controversial one as it defies the recommendation by an independent panel that the plan be rejected.
Campaigners are concerned that the terminal will turn out to be served exclusively by road, with Toni Harrington, a member of the J24 pressure group and chair of Lockington cum Hemington Parish Council, telling the BBC the "small print" left no guarantees that there will be a rail link.
The group may now seek a judicial review of the plan.
