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Stobart Group link to temporary Peterborough depot move
The distribution centre in Ivatt Way, Peterborough.
MYSTERY surrounds the future of a former delivery depot building in Peterborough which recently closed down.
The Co-operative Group is in the process of shutting its distribution centre in Ivatt Way, Westwood Industrial Estate, Peterborough, with the loss of 230 jobs.
The ET understands that haulage firm Eddie Stobart is considering a temporary move to the venue ahead of an £18 million switch to a brand new site at Great Haddon next year.
However, a spokesman for the Eddie Stobart Group said that no official move had been made and that the company was still on course to move to Great Haddon by April 2012.
The Co-operative Group and Peterborough City Council were unable to comment on the site’s future when contacted yesterday.
The ET reported in January this year that plans to close the depot had been finalised and the news was met with disappointment from city figureheads.
City MP Stewart Jackson said: “It’s a surprise and a disappointment, mainly because I thought Peterborough was getting a good reputation and growing jobs in transport and distribution.”
The decision came after the Co-operative Group carried out a strategic review of its network having bought the Summerfield supermarket chain in 2009.
Deliveries from the 37,000 sq ft depot were transferred to sites in nearby Huntingdon and Godmanchester.
It is estimated that the Stobart Group’s move to Great Haddon will create more than 350 jobs.
Plans for a massive £18 million distribution centre on the south-west corner of the Haddon urban extension were submitted to city council planners by developers Roxhill with a view to the firm opening the site by April 2012.
Among the plans is a £2 million proposal to create a new junction servicing Great Haddon off the A1139 Fletton Parkway, near to the A1, and building a new main road through the urban extension.
The news came as a massive relief to residents of Parnwell, who had reacted furiously to original plans from the Stobart Group to build its haulage hub next to the Tesco distribution centre off Parnwell Way.
Last September, Peterborough City Council leader Marco Cereste said that the Stobart site could be moved and was delighted to see the plans for Great Haddon put forward, which will create 380 jobs.
He said: “I think Great Haddon was always their preferred option but at the time there was not a great deal of clarity about it going forward.
“It’s absolutely fantastic news for the city. Great Haddon is beautifully positioned for access to the main arterial roads in this country and is hugely attractive to distribution companies.”
As it develops over the next 15 years, Great Haddon could generate up to 8,500 new jobs and 5,000 new homes.
The Stobart plans include a 175,000 sq ft distribution centre with 12 HGV loading bays, a separate “cross dock” facility and office space covering 75,000 sq ft.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 4 comments to this article
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J J Carter
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 09:40 PM@2 And the drivers will buy all the ties!
Outcast
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 12:28 PMSomerfield not Summerfield
Credo33
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 09:57 AMJeez - we don't want Eddie-Spotters in the city - our shops simply don't stock enough anoraks !
Gorgeous George
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 12:10 AMBoombastic news.
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