Freight consolidation centre cuts number of heavy goods vehicles

The consolidation scheme operates at a designated freight centre site in Snetterton, just outside the city. It is run by a local transport company, Foulger Transport, which is the council’s partner in the scheme. It is primarily aimed at major city centre retailers and businesses, though it does not cover chilled or frozen food, very high value goods or items requiring special handling.

Distribution
Freight bound for Norwich is delivered to the freight centre day or night, where it is consolidated and distributed in the city centre by vehicles with low emission engines. The 7.5 and 16-tonne twin axle, rigid vehicles are of at least Euro III emissions standards, and set to move to a minimum Euro IV in the near future.

The scheme had a low-key launch last July, but only picked up its first paying customer in October 2007. Among other customers, it now handles twice-weekly deliveries for two major retail chains in the city centre.

Charges
Norwich County Council contributed £123,500 from the CIVITAS project fund for set-up costs and promotion of the scheme to local businesses. The funding has allowed the appointment of a full time development manager to provide marketing and customer relations support.

The CIVITAS funding does not cover day to day running costs for the scheme, however. Foulger Transport charges customers for deliveries made via the consolidation centre.

Mike Payne is project manager with Mott Macdonald, which is working in partnership with Norfolk County Council’s planning and transportation department on managing the scheme. Payne says that the decision was taken to charge for the consolidation centre from the beginning, rather than use CIVITAS funding to subsidise it and then risk losing customers when the funding ran out and charges had to be introduced.

Client base
The aim is to develop the scheme into a commercially sustainable operation, with a full review of its longer term feasibility due in 2009. By this time, it is projected that its client base will have increased to at least ten major customers.

“The amount of interest in the scheme has been very encouraging, though getting new customers is a long process that can take several months. Often potential customers can’t make the decision to join the scheme until annual reviews into transport arrangements have been conducted. But there are positive signs that the scheme will flourish in the long-term. Chapelfields, a major shopping centre in Norwich, has recently sponsored a livery for one of our delivery vehicles to advertise the scheme, and the support of major companies like this will help to raise our profile,” says Payne.

First year
An evaluation of the scheme’s first year and its impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions is currently being prepared, and will be released in July.