Community leaders have given the go-ahead for a new business park on the edge of Ipswich which will bring major benefits for Britain’s top container port and create up to 1,500 jobs.
The 65-acre project will provide a hub for storage and distribution warehouses, providing 82,684sq metres of floorspace – extra employment land needed by the Port of Felixstowe, where land is in short supply.
Clemence Cheng, chief executive of port owners Hutchison Ports UK, said creation of a logistics park was a “major and welcome investment”.
He said: “The importance of low-cost, effective supply chains for the success of UK-based retailers, manufacturers and distributors is now more crucial than ever as we approach a post-Brexit economy and it requires excellent port and landside logistics, in equal measure.
“This development will help ensure Felixstowe remains the port of first choice for cargo owners and ensure the continuity of fast and efficient landside logistics for the reception and onward transportation of shipped goods.
“The Port of Felixstowe fully supports this much needed port-centric warehousing and distribution capacity for market-leading companies like Maritime Transport, to underpin the future expansion of the port, to protect existing jobs and create new employment opportunities for the county and further afield.”
Suffolk Coastal council’s planning committee approved the plans from Orwell Truck Stop Ltd for the Orwell Crossing Service Area on the A14 and including the adjoining site, the old Shepherd and Dog Piggeries.
The council wants to see a link road created between the new site and the adjoining Ransomes Europark, which is currently operating at capacity with no vacant sites available for further development. The Orwell Crossing owners have said negotiations will take place with the Europark owners to resolve this issue.
Surveyors Frankis Porter, for Orwell Truck Stop, stressed the need for 24-hour working at the site to attract investment funds from banks and other lenders.
Parish councils in the area are worried though.
County councillor Patricia O’Brien said: “Traffic congestion is already at alarming levels at peak times, and high throughout the day. Light and noise pollution are of deep concern.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here