As agreed in the April 2026 meeting, Repton Parish Council submitted the following comments:
The referenced document is effectively a cut and paste of the relevant District Councils Local Plans as they are relevant to the three Freeport sites in terms of infrastructure. The only exception to this seems to be the Junction 24 on the M1 where it meets up with the A50.
As far as the East Midlands Intermodal Park (EMIP) site there is nothing in terms of infrastructure beyond the SDDC Local Plan though the document includes the need to address the EMIP link to the A38 / A50 interchange as part of the Local Plan.
Fragility of current local road infrastructure –
Recent work on the A38 has again highlighted the traffic problems in the Willington / Repton area. We are already in the situation where any disruption on Repton / Willington road network or adjoining part of the A38 causes significant tailbacks and holdups, if not effective gridlock in the rush hour. The local police are aware of the problem. It is noted that due to queuing this problem would not show on traffic counters.
The only alternatives to the Repton / Willington Bridge crossing the River Trent are effectively the M1 or Burton on Trent crossings. The Swarkstone Causeway does not currently provide a real alterative option however if a new link was provided across the Trent in this locality with an access directly onto the A50 as part of the strategic infrastructure requirements this would we believe have a major relieving impact on many of the local settlements. This project is included in INF4 of the emerging Local Plan (INF4 A v).
It is further noted that there is no convenient and safe access by foot for all users between the settlements.
There is a need for the document to define the requirement to address the impact of the EMIP workforce travel on the neighbouring settlements and require it to be addressed in the SDP as part of the fundamental infrastructure.
We find it surprising that this has not already been addressed as part of the Strategic Infrastructure. This will also need to be addressed in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan.
(We note that paragraph 1.3 of the Consultation Statement gives the incorrect Local Authorities for the three sites!)