BPF calls for national logistics plan

The UK needs a logistics framework to sit alongside national planning policies, the British Property Federation has said. In its response to the government’s call for evidence on planning for freight and logistics, the BPF called for “greater strategic planning” for supply chains. Ben Taylor, planning director at Newlands Developments and chair of the BPF industrial committee, said: “We have been calling for a step-change in the way we plan for our industrial and logistics uses for some time now and these changes are imperative if the sector is going to reach its full potential and play a leading role in levelling up and driving wider economic growth. The publication of this call for evidence has therefore been strongly welcomed by the sector and serves as an indication that central government policymakers recognise the urgent need to create a more productive planning environment for industrial and logistics.” A “National Supply Chain Infrastructure Framework” should sit alongside the National Planning Policy Framework and associated guidance to help local and combined authorities plan more effectively for freight and logistics “and to reinforce the sector’s role as critical national infrastructure”. The BPF said that, under the current system, strategic “larger than local” logistics employment sites are simply not being planned for effectively. Sites are being underutilised owing to a lack of co-operation between authorities and the reliance on the “broken” planning system. It added that this has become less effective since the abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies in 2010. “This has been to the detriment of the wider economy and has undermined international investment, with strategic employment sites tending to attract nationally and internally mobile business activity, as well as specific growth centres,” it said. The BPF response added that the local plan process had failed to keep pace with the fast-changing nature of market demand, particularly as a result of the growth of e-commerce. It added that the “overreliance on out-of-date evidence bases” meant that local plans often did not reflect economic reality. The local plan process “needs to become more agile”, it said, with more flexible planning mechanisms to enable employment sites to come forward outside of the formal local plan cycle when it makes sense to do so. It said there were many examples of forward-thinking local authorities, experienced in catering for freight and logistics, which had adopted “criteria-based” local policies to enable this. This approach, it said, should be rolled out across the country. The BPF’s formal response is backed up by 52 case studies and examples of best practice of how to plan for this form of development. It said the case studies served as the bedrock of evidence that sits behind “10 key asks”, which focus on how the existing planning framework for freight and logistics can be improved. Taylor said: “It is our strong hope that the mountain of evidence assembled by our members from all corners of the industrial and logistics sector across the country, which has resulted in our detailed response and case study evidence, can positively make the case for reform when the fuller review of national planning policy and associated guidance gets under way next year.” The BPF’s 10 key asks: Government to prepare a National Supply Chain Infrastructure Framework, after consultation with local authorities and developers. Planning authorities must assess the economic need for land and meet it in full. Ensure a consistent approach to the calculation of economic need to include both market demand and supply. This should include “suppressed demand” where there has been historic undersupply. Modernise/digitalise employment land evidence so that it is more agile and kept up-to-date through the utilisation of real-time market information. For significant weight in decision making to be given to logistics/supply chains as critical societal infrastructure. Local planning authorities traversed by the strategic transport network to take a two-tiered approach to employment allocations; identifying strategic, larger-than-local employment sites alongside sites to meet local needs. Local plans to be more flexible and agile to enable more employment sites, above those allocated in the local plan, as needed. Local authorities must face a statutory requirement to show they have engaged with developers and occupiers, as well as evidence of responses and demonstration of cross-boundary collaboration where appropriate. Standardised guidance to enable positive pre-application engagement and planning performance agreements. For officers and members of planning authorities and committees to receive improved training on the benefits and needs of the freight and logistics sector. To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews Photo by Shutterstock