8,500 jobs pledged by rail hub scheme near Shropshire border

Four Ashes Limited wants to build a freight interchange on a 250-hectare site west of junction 12 of the M6 and says the development will ease HGV lorry congestion on busy roads and create thousands of jobs.

The West Midlands Interchange would be linked directly to the West Coast Mainline, one of the country's principal freight routes, and would serve Birmingham, the northern M6 corridor, Staffordshire and parts of Warwickshire.

Plans have been drawn up for a freight interchange with warehousing. Developers are hoping to gather feedback on the proposals over the next 18 months, with a public consultation due to launch this summer.

Peter Frost, managing director of Four Ashes Limited, said: "A strategic rail freight interchange is something that has been long identified as essential for the future prosperity of the West Midlands region.

"The region's strong logistics and manufacturing industries will need faster, more reliable transport links in future to attract global business and investment.

"The Government too, strongly encourages what is known as modal shift meaning the transport of goods from road to rail, to help reduce transport's carbon emissions and to provide economic benefits."

The plans have been welcomed by Shropshire Council leader Malcolm Pate.

He said: "This is the first I've heard about these plans but we would welcome jobs wherever they come.

"If it eases congestion, so much the better."

Councillor Simon Jones, Shropshire Council's portfolio holder for highways and transportation, added: "If it produces jobs which would attract people from Shropshire, that's a good thing. It will be interesting to see what happens."

Due to the project's scale, it qualifies as a nationally significant infrastructure project and will require a Development Consent Order, which needs approval from the Secretary of State for Transport.

The project is being led by Kilbride Holdings, a partner in Four Ashes Limited, which specialises in developing rail related infrastructure projects.

For more information about the proposals, visit www.westmidlandsinterchange.co.uk