Gateway Peterborough, the 240 acre distribution park, opens to the public on Monday when DPD get the keys to its new depot. Coincidentally, Yearsley has completed the purchase of a 20-acre plot at the site.
The site, owned by Roxhill has planning permission for up to five million sq ft of logistics space. It can accommodate a single building of up to 1.3m sq ft.
DPD will officially take possession of its new unit on Tuesday. Chief executive Dwain McDonald said: “Location and access are key issues for us and relocating to Gateway gives us all those benefits and the space to create a modern, purpose built parcel depot.”
And Yearsley Group managing director Harry Yearsley said: “The frozen industry has and will continue to move to shorter lead times. Our strategy to embrace this is to invest in Superhubs in strategic locations. The Gateway Peterborough site is the ideal location given its proximity to the A1 and A14. The support we have received from Roxhill has enabled us to obtain planning permission for exactly the type of building that is required to maintain our industry leading position and we are extremely pleased with the outcome.”
Work is soon set to begin on an £11m upgrade to the main link roads to the site, including re-development of the A1139 Fletton Parkway and links to Junction 17 of the A1(M).
“Planning permission is in place for a range of units up to and including over one million sq ft, we have invested significantly in the infrastructure including a substantial electricity supply and everything is now connected on site,” said Charles Blake, development director for Roxhill Developments. “This means that construction could start on new buildings without further delay.”
