Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what protections exist to protect land and operations afforded to rail freight from (a) the risks of redevelopment and (b) other legal and commercial challenges; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing protections.

The Government recognises that safeguarding strategically important sites for rail freight is vital to securing the growth of the sector and is committed to continuing to protect strategic freight sites. Currently, the consent of the Office of Rail and Road is required for any land disposals by Network Rail under its Licence Conditions 16 and 17.

The Department is currently working through a range of options to ensure their continued protection as we reform the railway. Any consideration by Great British Railways when disposing of land would have to take into account the duty to promote rail freight and the Secretary of State’s growth target, together with its other duties set out in the Railways Bill.