Draft Alternative Site Assessment The Rail Central Rail Freight Interchange and Highway Order 201[X] Stage 2 Consultation Draft (March 2018) Regulation 5(2)(q) Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Need 3 3. Options Appraisal 5 4. Methodology 11 5. Stage 1: Sieving Results 20 6. Stage 2: Site Assessment 21 7. Stage 3: Sites identified by Local Representation and Other Studies 70 8. Stage 4: Rail Central 83 9. Stage 5: Comparative Assessment 85 10. Overview and Conclusions 110 Appendix 1: Phase 1 Alternative Site Assessment 112 Appendix 2: Plan 1 – Catchment Area 113 Appendix 3: Plan 2 – Motorway Junction Buffer 114 Appendix 4: Plan 3 – Railways within Motorway Junctions 115 Appendix 5: Plan 4 – W8 Gauge Railways and Above 116 Appendix 6: Plan 5 – Key Environmental Designations 117 Appendix 7: Plan 6 – Excluding Environmental Designations 118 Appendix 8: Plans 6a – 6f – Excluding Environmental Designations 119 Appendix 9: Plans 7-1 to 7-25 Agricultural Land Classification 120 Appendix 10: Labour Market Availability Data 121 Contact David Diggle
[email protected] March 2018 1. Introduction 1.1 Ashfield Land Management Limited and Gazeley GLP Northampton s.àr.l. intend to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) for a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI), referred to as Rail Central at land at Arm Farm, Milton Malsor in South Northamptonshire (the Rail Central site). 1.2 The draft Alternative Site Assessment (ASA) provides a preliminary assessment of alternative sites that have been considered in selecting the Rail Central site. This draft ASA establishes a preliminary area in which it is appropriate to search for an alternative site, sets out the search criteria to assess potential sites and assesses the suitability of alternative sites.