The Secretary of State for Transport has granted Development Consent for the expansion of the existing Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) by the construction and operation of a new 8 million square ft extension rail link to a replacement interchange. This is along with new transhipment sidings, container storage, an HGV reception area, up to 731,000 square metres of rail served storage and a strategic open space.

The development is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008 and so the developers, Rugby Radio Station Limited Partnership & Prologis UK Limited, we require to submit an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO). The application was submitted on 22nd February 2013 and accepted for examination on 20th March 2013. Located next to the M1 motorway and the West Coast main line, DIRFT III is the first Strategic Rail Freight Interchange to secure a Development Consent Order (DCO) in line with the Planning Act 2008 and is the largest rail-linked logistics development in the UK.

The first buildings of the £1 billion project are expected to be ready by 2016. Once complete, the facility will employ around 9,000 people.

Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager said "Daventry Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) demonstrates that rail and road complement each other and that these SRFIs allow efficient cost-effective transfer between the modes. So it is crucial that the Government's National Networks National Policy Statement makes it clear that getting planning permission for a network of strategic rail freight interchanges across the UK, like Daventry, is an essential part of getting freight onto rail in order to reduce road fatalities, road congestion and pollution."

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.