Traffic levels in the area are already high at peak times and some routes, e..g. Between Lutterworth and Rugby, can be extremely congested. As more vehicle traffic is added to support expanding Magna Park operations there is a serious risk of gridlock on some roads. Much of the traffic volume seems to be driven by workers travelling into the area and as the number of commutes has increased there is evidence that traffic volumes through the villages is increasing. There seems little consideration in any of the plans to the risk of damage and injury to property and people due to busier roads in villages that were not designed to handle modern vehicle traffic. The number of incidents is increasing but the details of most accidents are not on record to enable proper assessment of the impact.

Traffic volumes impact Air Quality. It is well known that Lutterworth has failed to achieve acceptable air quality levels for a number of years despite regular plans to address the issue. With more traffic through the expansion of Magna Park the air quality can only get worse. Where is the evidence that air quality is being factored into the development decision?

It would appear that expansion of Magna Park is considered an important factor in the overall local area development in terms of providing more jobs in the future. I understand that current unemployement in the area in very low and that workers travel into the are to Magna Park and other logistics parks in the area. Something that I believe has not been considered in the plan is the effort of those same logistics operators to actually reduce the number of employees through the automation of warehouse functions. This approach may in fact reduce the overall employment levels at Magna Park in future years rather than provide a steady increase in numbers.

An additional factor that is likely to impact future logistics operations in the immediate area is the lack of a rail connection which is likely to make Magna Park less ideal as the choice for national distribution centres in the future.

I would note also that the current plan to expand Magna Park by 700,000 square meters uses the total land area planned for expansion up until 2031 in one immediate hit. That is also at a time when other logistics developments have also recently started in the immediate vicinity - suggesting that the estimated target allotment of 700,000 square metres by 2031 has already been exceeded.

The area is potentially rich in historic sites dating back to the Roman and Middle Ages. So far much of the land has been protected by farming. I would like to see clear assurances that any discoveries of historic finds uncovered in the process of any future developments will be given appropriate visibility and assessment by suitably qualified interest groups.