Proposals for a new freight hub in the West Midlands have been opened to consultation for the public.

The new hub will provide direct access to the West Coast Main Line and may be constructed in Staffordshire, in the Featherstone area.

The ‘Consortium Four Ashes’ group is set to hold regular consultation events on the design plans for the West Midlands Interchange, which is set to be constructed on a 615 acre land site just west of junction 12 on the M6.

The proposed scheme, which the company hopes will create 8,500 new jobs, will include warehouses for storage, processing and movement of goods for consumers, retailers and manufacturers.

Four Ashes Managing Director, Peter Frost, said that this is the kind of project that the economic organisations and businesses in the region have said they are in desperate need of.

The scheme has also been backed by a national government policy aimed at encouraging more freight movements onto rail and off the roads.

The consultation events are set to take place in the West Midlands area on June 30, July 8 and July 9.

The project is funded by Grosvenor Group (a property development firm) and the planning application for the scheme is set to be put forward in autumn next year.

The Government will make the final call on the scheme rather than South Staffordshire Council.

If approved, the hub would also help to reduce congestion caused by HGV lorries.

Mr Frost added that public consultation is vital for the scheme and that their views would be carefully considered before they go ahead with the proposed plans.

He said that they will use the first round of feedback to develop the detailed design stage of their proposals, before consulting on more detailed proposals the following year.

The project is privately funded and will require a consent order from the Secretary of State for Transport before it can be constructed.