Logistics must not be an afterthought

The call comes as Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner increased the annual housebuilding target in England from 300,000 to 370,000, with local authorities having ‘a duty’ to build, and on certain green belt land if necessary. ‘Grey belt’ land are areas within green belts that are not deemed to be contributing to its utility.

Logistics UK’s policy director Kevin Green said: “The government’s announcement today on freeing up “grey belt” sites for building more homes is encouraging news for the economy, but does not address the fact that these homes will need to have access to all the logistics that we take for granted in our everyday lives. New homes need shops, schools, hospitals and more and all of these facilities need to be serviced effectively by a logistics network in close proximity to its end users. 

“Logistics UK is urging the government to consider the everyday needs of the sector as part of the planning and construction process, to allocate sufficient space for logistics facilities and ensure that the needs of the sector are included as an integral part of any planning process.
“The UK’s planning process has been too slow and too complex for too long, and the reforms announced by Ms Rayner to streamline the system and make it easier to achieve planning approval is welcomed by logistics businesses aiming to build facilities to support consumer and business needs. Our members look forward to engaging with the government on the forthcoming consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework to ensure that the final plans take into account the needs of our industry, which supports every part of the economy.”