Luton MP backs rail freight to deliver homes and cut road congestion

Luton North MP Sarah Owen has expressed strong support for sustainable housing development and the use of rail to transport construction materials, reducing reliance on local roads. During a visit to Breedon Group on Leagrave Road, she observed a freight train unloading materials transported 130 miles from Derbyshire. Each delivery by train can provide materials for up to 30 new homes while removing around 76 HGV movements from Luton’s streets.

Materials arriving at the site, located near the rail sidings south of Leagrave Station, are transferred to lorries for final delivery to locations across Luton. These include sites for new homes, school and hospital upgrades, and the new stadium at Power Court. Ms Owen also met apprentices recruited through Breedon’s partnership with Barnfield College, which offers training that blends classroom learning with hands-on experience. Her visit concluded with a tour of the site from a 20-metre-high silo.

Sarah Owen MP stated: “Tackling the housing crisis, and delivering the infrastructure needed to create local jobs, put money back in local people’s pockets and grow the economy in our area, means every part of the supply chain doing its part. It was great to visit Breedon and their team at their site on Leagrave Road. They put sustainability and the railway at the centre of their operations, providing the materials needed to improve both local and new buildings. Whilst the last miles to local building sites are undertaken by lorry, bringing the materials into Luton by train reduces pressure on local roads and provides good, local jobs. This is better for the environment and makes great use of our railway.”

Torquil Hall, Breedon’s Land Manager for strategic development, said: “It was great to welcome Sarah to our site and show her how we’re delivering the materials needed to build the homes Luton needs in a more sustainable way, whilst minimising the impact on residents in the town. To meet the Government’s ambitious housebuilding targets, we’ll need to extract and deliver more materials from our quarries. That’s why we welcome the Government’s planning and rail reforms and we’re keen to see further changes that speed up the planning process and expand access for rail freight.”

Huw Merriman from the Rail Freight Group added: “It was great to show Sarah the benefits of rail freight; from its environmental merits to the products Breedon delivers in bulk to help provide the new homes for people and their families across Luton. In the UK, we only deliver 7% of freight by rail and can do much more. Sarah is known for her support of the railway and the environment. We are pleased that she shares our ambition that the new rail reforms, and the creation of Great British Railways, can provide an opportunity to grow rail freight if the industry gets the certainty it needs to invest.”

Ms Owen also encouraged local charities and organisations needing volunteer support to contact her office, inspired by Breedon’s commitment to community work.