Black Country and southern Staffordshire - Regional Logistics Site Study Black Country and southern Staffordshire Regional Logistics Site Study Final Report April 2013 UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND Prepared for: Wolverhampton City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Walsall Council, Staffordshire County Council, South Staffordshire District Council, CENTRO, Cannock Chase District Council, Stafford Borough Council, Lichfield District Council and Tamworth Borough Council Black Country and southern Staffordshire - Regional Logistics Site Study Rev Date Details Prepared by Checked by Approved by 1 September First Draft Mark Phillips Alan Houghton 2012 Principal Head of Planning Planning and and Regeneration Regeneration Consultant 2 October Second draft Anita Longworth 2012 Principal Planner 3 December Third draft Jerry Thorne 2012 Rail Specialist 4 April 2013 Fourth draft Eleanor Deeley CBRE Bob Perkins Associate Economics Paul Roberts Principal Traffic Engineer Byron Song /Simon Tomlinson The Logistics Business Ltd 4th Floor, Bridgewater House, Whitworth Street, Manchester. M1 6LT E Mail: [email protected] i Black Country and southern Staffordshire - Regional Logistics Site Study Limitations URS Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited (“URS”) has prepared this Report for the sole use of the Black Country and southern Staffordshire local authorities (“Client”) in accordance with the Agreement under which our services were performed. No other warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to the professional advice included in this Report or any other services provided by URS. This Report is confidential and may not be disclosed by the Client nor relied upon by any other party without the prior and express written agreement of URS. The conclusions and recommendations contained in this Report are based upon information provided by others and upon the assumption that all relevant information has been provided by those parties from whom it has been requested and that such information is accurate. 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Certain statements made in the Report that are not historical facts may constitute estimates, projections or other forward- looking statements and even though they are based on reasonable assumptions as of the date of the Report, such forward-looking statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results predicted. URS specifically does not guarantee or warrant any estimate or projections contained in this Report. Copyright © This Report is the copyright of URS Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited. Any unauthorised reproduction or usage by any person other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. ii Black Country and southern Staffordshire - Regional Logistics Site Study TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................... 1 2. INTRODUCTION ................................................................ 7 3. BACKGROUND ............................................................... 13 4. IDENTIFY THE RELEVANT CATCHMENT AREAS ASSOCIATED WITH A RSL/SFRI AND POTENTIAL RSL USERS; ............................................................................ 23 5. TASK 1 - ASSESS INDUSTRY REQUIREMENTS PARTICULARLY WITH REFERENCE TO THE TYPE OF SITE THAT WOULD BE SUITABLE. ESTABLISH THE PROS AND CONS OF ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO RLS PROVISION (LARGE BESPOKE SITE OR HUB AND SPOKE MODEL) ..................................................... 24 6. TASK 4: SHOULD AN ELEMENT OF MANUFACTURING (B2 USES) BE PERMITTED ALONGSIDE B8? ............................................................. 32 7. THE CURRENT POLICY CONTEXT AND EVIDENCE BASE FOR A RLS ............................................................ 33 8. TASK 3: ASSESS THE IMPACT ON JOB CREATION, REGENERATION BENEFITS AND SKILLS ARISING FROM A RLS DEVELOPMENT, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE LIKELY SHARE AND NUMBER OF JOBS FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE BLACK COUNTRY AND ADJACENT AREAS INCLUDING SOUTHERN STAFFORDSHIRE ..................................... 42 9. TASK 4 ASSESSES THE RISKS OF POTENTIAL DIVERSION OF INVESTMENT FROM THE BLACK COUNTRY AND SUGGEST PRACTICAL MEASURES TO MINIMISE SUCH RISKS. ........................................... 61 10. THE LARGE SCALE LOGISTICS SECTOR - LAND AND PROPERTY DEMAND AND SUPPLY ............................. 66 11. TASK 6: RE-EXAMINE THE RSS2 EVIDENCE BASE IN LIGHT OF UP-TO-DATE ECONOMIC AND MARKET EVIDENCE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ANY CHANGES IN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF WEST MIDLANDS, BLACK COUNTRY AND SOUTHERN STAFFORDSHIRE ........................................................... 79 12. TASK 7: ASSESS THE IMPACT ON THE ROAD AND RAIL NETWORK, BOTH LOCAL TO THE SITE AND THE STRATEGIC NETWORK ......................................... 86 13. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................. 101 iii Black Country and southern Staffordshire - Regional Logistics Site Study 14. APPENDIX A - SUMMARY OF LOCAL POLICY AND EVIDENCE ..................................................................... 107 15. APPENDIX B: SRFI AS NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS .................................. 113 16. APPENDIX C: THE MIDLANDS - B8 UNITS LET SINCE 2010; CURRENTLY AVAILABLE B8 UNITS; PIPELINE B8 SITES ....................................................................... 115 17. APPENDIX D - LETTER FROM HIGHWAYS AGENCY127 18. APPENDIX E - CONSULTATIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS .......................................................... 128 19. APPENDIX F: BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE CONCERNING RAIL FREIGHT LOGISTICS142 iv Black Country and southern Staffordshire - Regional Logistics Site Study 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 In June 2012 a number of local authorities in the Black Country and Staffordshire1 commissioned URS Infrastructure and Environment UK Ltd to consider the need for regional logistics provision or a Regional Logistics Site (RLS) to serve the Black Country and southern Staffordshire, and, based on findings, make recommendations for a suitable location. 1.1.2 The main purpose of the study is to provide the client group with independent planning, economic development and logistics property market advice to assess whether there is an economic need for a RLS in the study area in order to inform and guide existing and emerging Local Plans. 1.1.3 The brief envisages that undertaking a search of broad locations suitable to accommodate a RLS is dependent on finding that the case for RLS provision to serve the Black Country and southern Staffordshire is robust. 1.2 The role of logistics 1.2.1 Logistics embraces an array of distinct industries that work across all types of transport and a variety of supply chains. Logistics is very often an ‘invisible’ industry, although it underpins the economy. It includes the planning, routing and movement of freight across all transport modes (road, rail, sea and air), as well as associated activities such as warehousing and storage, removals, freight forwarding and wholesaling. 1.2.2 Traditional factors which are fundamental to sites being commercially attractive to the logistics market include proximity to market, modal flexibility, site availability and size and labour. 1.2.3 National and regional logistics centres are critical to the effective and economic distribution of consumer goods and foodstuffs to retailers and supermarkets. Imported goods are received in bulk at ports mainly in the North West, South and East of the country and taken to individual company national distribution warehouses where bulk volumes are broken down and distributed via company networks of smaller regional or local distribution centres and ultimately to retail premises and the consumer. In the same manner goods and foodstuffs produced in the U.K. and in mainland Europe are distributed through distribution centres. A key element of large distribution centres is they must accommodate large warehouse facilities for individual companies where goods handling may be organised and distributed effectively. 1.2.4 The logistics sector make up under consideration within this study includes food/non-food retailers, manufacturing companies who manage their own logistics system, third party logistics providers, express operators and internet fulfilment companies. 1.3 RLS/ Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) characteristics 1.3.1 Policy 9A of the West Midlands RSS 2008 describes the purpose of a Regional Logistics Site as providing an opportunity for the concentrated development of warehousing