Land at Whippingham could be sold and more jobs could be created on the Isle of Wight, after plans for a new package delivery warehouse were given the green light by councillors.
Following a surge in online shopping, Isle of Wight Distribution will expand to Whippingham Technology Park, creating what agent, Phil Salmon, called a “fundamentally important piece of logistic transport infrastructure”.
The new base will have a parcel collection area for customers.
Earmarked for ’employment’ opportunities
The Isle of Wight council-owned land, on the main road into East Cowes, has been earmarked for ’employment’ opportunities since the technology park was first approved, in 2011.
County Hall could sell the plot to Isle of Wight Distribution later this year.
The fields, adjacent to GKN, stood empty until 2016, when the arrival of the Isle of Wight College’s CECAMM Centre became the first development.
Current distribution centre “not fit for purpose”
At a meeting of the Isle of Wight council’s planning committee on Tuesday, Mr Salmon said the firm’s current distribution centre in Merstone was “not fit for purpose” and did not give an easy connection to Isle of Wight ferry routes.
Isle of Wight Distribution’s managing director, Anthony Flood, told the committee the company delivers between 7,500 and 10,000 parcels a day across the Island, depending on the time of year, and it works for multinational companies like Yodel, DHL and Parcelforce.
Ambition for 70 new jobs
Since it opened in 1999, Mr Flood said the company has expanded, buying Acclaim Logistics in 2021 and now with a mainland base to sort and hold the parcels coming over to the Island.
Around 130 staff are employed on the Island but it hopes to grow that number up to 200, he said.
Members of County Hall’s planning committee unanimously approved the proposal.
Larger plans on the horizon
The plans are the first phase of Isle of Wight Distribution’s development at the technology park, with proposals to build a second larger warehouse behind the first, which is yet to go before decision-makers.
Planning documents say four 40ft lorries would arrive each day, along with 32 parcel delivery vans.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Flood said no decision has been made about the future use of the Merstone site and hoped builders would be on site in Whippingham by Easter.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
