Jonathan Childs and Ian Bracey from Pell Frischmann discuss why urban brownfield sites are key to easing the increasing pressure on the UK logistics industry
Since the pandemic accelerated e-commerce, the UK logistics industry has been moving towards making next-day delivery standard. Research has shown that the majority of Brits want same-day delivery, and as a consequence, last-mile delivery facilities (LMFs) are now moving at twice the speed of other types of development.
The pace of change will only accelerate. Earlier this month, Amazon became the first retailer in the UK to start a drone delivery service, meaning more developers will soon be called upon to build LMFs that incorporate drone landing pads and automated delivery vehicles (ADVs). In China, tens of thousands of ground-based ‘robovan’ ADVs are already being used for last-mile delivery in over 200 cities.
Increasing pressure on last-mile delivery facilities
The speed of expansion means LMF developers are under pressure to bring developments forward as quickly as possible, often relying on a formulaic approach with their established supply chain. The most frequent question an LMF developer gets asked is, ‘How quickly can you get planning permission?’ The short answer is that it depends on the site and how well you understand it.
The challenge is that although people generally want the speed and convenience of fast last-mile delivery, they usually do not want the associated facilities located right on their doorstep.
Constructing new logistics hubs on urban brownfield sites
The most effective way to reduce objections is to engage with the community early. Residents around an urban LMF will typically expect some industry, as these are often built on brownfields that have been used for industrial purposes for hundreds of years. Such land can be greatly improved by the construction of new logistics hubs, as part of the wider regeneration of roads and the introduction of greenery and improvements to the condition of old industrial buildings.
Developers who recognise that an LMF brings benefits, including local employment, to the community and requires thoughtful design – such as feature cladding, landscaping, the provision of on-site travel hubs and amenities – are having greater success achieving planning approvals.
Overcoming obstacles and objections
However, even with suitable employment allocations in a master plan, there will probably still be objections to address. Design strategies which can smooth these include:
- Understanding ground conditions: Logistics developers need to understand the risk in the ground, so early due diligence, site investigations and review of environmental concerns, as well as the approach to statutory stakeholders, are essential for the success of an LMF scheme.
- Facades and perimeter landscaping: High-quality facades, landscaping, and amenities such as cafés and a gym can be used to mask the LMF site. Other ways to make the site’s perimeter landscaping work harder include: the use of sustainable drainage systems; landscaping that complements acoustic fencing; and a design that allows the site levels to tie in seamlessly with adjacent sites. Landscaped areas are also the key to achieving biodiversity improvements.
- Building orientation and impact assessments: At an early design stage, well thought-out building orientation can shield neighbours not only from visual impact but also from noise. Commissioning Noise Impact Assessments and Transport Assessments at the concept stage, rather than using them defensively after the design is fixed, allows for acoustic screening, dock orientation, and vehicle routing to be shaped around an assessment’s findings. This ultimately gives far greater control over the conditions that may be attached to planning consent.
- Environmental enhancements: The sustainability of LMFs is increasingly important to institutional funders, but achieving this can be challenging. Many standard biodiversity net gain (BNG) approaches will be ruled out because LMF schemes are generally large buildings with light roofs and large concrete yards. Creative design that integrates biodiversity-enhancing features, and that also appeals to planning officers, is therefore required.
- Embodied carbon: Logistics buildings have large, flexible spans, high-specification concrete floors, and insulated-panel cladding, which typically means a high carbon content. Careful specification of materials, increasing the content of re-used materials, and embracing the principles of circularity, in particular end-of-life demountability and re-use, can significantly reduce the embodied carbon and design out waste.
- Willingness to be flexible: As most LMFs start life as a speculative proposition, it is important to define a flexible specification, which is not excessive and can be adapted to suit a range of possible occupiers. While this may not appear to be the case, frontloading the work really is the speediest route.
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