New industrial warehouses are becoming bigger and more centralised. The East and West Midlands are favoured because lorries, serving supermarkets and large retailers, can service the whole country.
The newest clusters of sheds can be as big as small new towns, and as high as six storey buildings. They are stuck in the middle of the countryside near motorways and railway lines and are lit for twenty four hours a day.
More have been in the East Midlands but the logistics industry would like new sites in the West Midlands as well as extensions to existing terminals, such as Hams Hall and Birch Coppice.
The Regional Spatial Strategy promoted up to six massive new 50 hectares sites (known as Regional Logistics Sites) to house new warehouses. They favoured new locations in Southern and North Staffordshire, which would have included green belt sites.
We criticised the lack of consideration of the social or environmental impacts of such developments, including the growth in overall CO2 emissions that might result from longer journeys (even if a few are by train).
We believe the need for such large sites should be reconsidered following the abolition of the RSS. And we want much more stress on sourcing local foods and reducing the amount goods have to travel. In some parts of the region providing smaller warehousing may be an alternative, particularly in urban areas where large industrial sites are rare.
You can view our press release here.
24.08.10 |
