Village to get vote on £36m DX Freight depot
A referendum will be held in Essington to see whether residents want a £36 million transport hub built in the village.
South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson is hosting a campaign evening in the village for campaigners against the building of the proposed DX Freight distribution centre off Hobnock Road.
The meeting will be held at St John's Primary School, Hobnock Road, Essington, on Wednesday October 7 at 6.30pm where volunteers will organise and distribute the referendum and survey forms that Mr Williamson will be distributing to households across Essington.
The results will then be presented to South Staffordshire District Council.
He said: "I believe that the building of the so-called super hub will increase noise, sound and air pollution, having an impact upon the quality of life of residents in Essington.
"The increase in HGVs, vans and cars passing through Essington will cause traffic chaos and congestion in the village and surrounding areas.
"The area that the DX Freight super hub is proposed for also lies within the greenbelt and it is my belief that we should do all we can to protect our greenbelt land in Essington and South Staffordshire.
"I hope as many volunteers as possible will be able to join us at St John's on Wednesday. These proposals could cause irrevocable damage to the village of Essington and I am determined to fight these proposals and ensure that the voice of Essington residents is heard loud and clear."
The firm – formerly Nightfreight – wants to open the new distribution centre in Essington in the summer of 2017. But the plans have caused uproar in the community, with the villagers firmly against them on the grounds of extra traffic and noise and the loss of green belt land.
If the DX Freight plans are approved, the company will transfer its staff from its two existing sites in Willenhall in a process due to take 12 months.
However, DX Freight has said the plans will bring new life to an area unused that has not been used for decades. Its planning application states: "The site has not made a beneficial contribution to the social, economic or environmental setting of South Staffordshire in 30 years."
