HELIOSLOUGH'S own evidence shows its railfreight depot will be serve a large area, the council's barrister Matthew Reed has argued.

Referring to an analysis the company has commissioned of the type of retailers likely to occupy the railfreight terminal's warehouses, Mr Reed asked Mr Tilley to acknowledge they are large chains with shops thoughout the South-East.

Mr Tilley responded: “I disagree – you are assuming that large occupiers will distribute over a large area.”

Mr Reed said: “These occupiers will be distributing to London and the South-East as a whole, as opposed to some sector of the region.”

Mr Reed said the analysis gave one example of a potential customer, the owner of Superdrug, AS Watson Group, which has recently relocated its main warehouse from Croydon to Dunstable.

Mr Tilley resisted his sugestion that this proved the railfreight depot's potential customers distributed on a regional basis.

He said: “I would want to know more about how that distribution centre in Dunstable operates.

“It may distribute to the Midlands as well as to the South-East.”