New DPD warehouse approved for Washington to help delivery company meet demand

Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways (West) Committee has approved plans for a ‘logistics warehouse’ on land within the Armstrong Industrial Estate.

The site already benefited from planning permission for an industrial unit, which was approved in October 2018.

Due to changes in market conditions, new plans were lodged to develop the site solely for use as a parcel and distribution centre for DPD (UK) Group.

The site will have a total gross internal floor area of more than 5,500 square metres with warehouse facilities, a two-storey office space, staff and welfare areas and a small customer collection area.

Parking for commercial vehicles would be located to the rear with new landscaping proposed around the perimeter of the site.

A small area of the plot would also be set aside for ‘unspecified future development’, subject to further planning approval.

The parcel warehouse planning application from Buccleuch Property & Argon Properties was presented to city planners as an alternative to the existing planning permission on the site at Armstrong Industrial Estate.

According to planning documents,the development would use the same access proposals as the previously approved development and would operate safely.

The application was approved by councillors on Tuesday, March 2, in line with the recommendation of planners.

However, the decision is subject to a section 106 agreement which aims to secure cash from the developer to help the council reduce impacts on ecology in the area.

The off-site contributions towards ‘ biodiversity net gain’ will benefit both Bowes Railway Local Wildlife Site and Springwell Ponds Local Wildlife Site.

The planning application for the Armstrong Industrial Estate site, referred to as Velocity 194, was originally submitted in December, 2020.

A planning statement submitted at the time said: “The development will involve the reuse of previously developed land in a sustainable location and, by future of an identified end operator, will provide guaranteed economic growth and employment generation within the area.

“The application site is free from significant development constraints and therefore immediately available and deliverable in the short-term.

“The site is considered capable of accommodating development on the scale required to satisfy the proven demand by the named operator for a logistics warehouse in this location. ”

A full travel plan for the site must be submitted within nine months of full occupation of the development, following a request by planners.

For more information on the application, visit https://online-applications.sunderland.gov.uk/online-applications and search planning reference: 20/02278/FUL

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