CIVITAS Urban Freight Consolidation Centre
Norfolk County Council has been working to develop an urban freight consolidation centre for freight deliveries and collections within central Norwich through CIVITAS.The aim of the project is to achieve an overall reduction in the number of freight vehicle movements within the Norwich urban area and the city centre in particular by combining loads for multiple drop deliveries and to ensure that the final delivery is made by vehicles with low emission engines (initially Euro III or better emissions standard).
NCC has been working to develop an urban freight consolidation centre for freight deliveries and collections within central Norwich.The aim of the project is to achieve an overall reduction in the number of freight vehicle movements within the Norwich urban area and the city centre in particular by combining loads for multiple drop deliveries and to ensure that the final delivery is made by vehicles with low emission engines (initially Euro III or better emissions standard).The expected benefits of fewer freight vehicle movements within the city and the use of cleaner vehicles will be:• Reduced emissions and noise• Improvements in local air quality• Reduced traffic congestion• Reduced structural damage to roadsThe project will be achieved though a partnership between NCC and Foulger Transport Limited. Foulger Transport is a warehousing and distribution company based in Norfolk, but with local, national and international operations. The company operates 240,000 sq ft of warehousing at Snetterton and a modern fleet of 68 goods vehicles. NCC have appointed Foulgers as their partner following a formal tender process.Foulger Transport will provide and operate a consolidation centre at their existing premises adjacent to the A11 at Snetterton. Logistics and freight operators currently making deliveries to central Norwich via the A11 will be able to deliver to the consolidation centre warehouse, saving time and vehicle mileage. Foulgers will combine these loads to make the final deliveries, using their vehicles that are already making daily deliveries to customers in Norwich.NCC is contributing to the cost of setting up and promoting the consolidation centre and the employment of a business development manager to engage with city centre retailers and businesses to encourage them to participate in the scheme. Foulgers will charge customers for deliveries made via the consolidation centre. The aim is to use the CIVITAS funding to develop the project into a commercially sustainable operation that will continue beyond the end of the CIVITAS project in 2009.A similar consolidation centre has been developed in Bristol by Bristol City Council and this has been highly successful in reducing freight vehicle movements within the city centre, but the Norwich project is innovative in making use of an existing warehouse and its focus on developing a commercially sustainable operation that will not require ongoing revenue funding from the public sector.
Author: David Sprunt
