Background
Background
In 2018 planning permission was granted for the first phase of St. Modwen Park Chippenham logistics park, located at junction 17 of the M4, four miles to the north of Chippenham.
This is Wiltshire’s main motorway junction, a prime location for businesses that are reliant on access to the country’s infrastructure network. It was for this reason that both FurnitureBox and Huboo – two rapidly-growing businesses both based in the region who made the Park their home after the first phase of construction – chose St. Modwen Park Chippenham. For FurnitureBox, it even allowed them to extend their order deadline for next day delivery, helping them supercharge their growth. Without St. Modwen Park Chippenham, both businesses would have considered leaving the local region entirely, taking valuable jobs and investment with them. Two units on the site are nearing completion and are seeing strong interest from potential customers, demonstrating that whilst demand in the region is strong, the current availability across Wiltshire is certainly lacking. As such, we are now preparing a planning application for the next phase, which will sit in-between our current Park and the M4 motorway.
Our customers make modern life possible. They ensure the products that people and businesses need are in the right place, at the right time: from the coffee beans that kickstart a million mornings, right through to the new suit that arrives just in time for that all-important interview. In order to ensure goods are delivered quickly and efficiently, location is critical and St. Modwen Park Chippenham, with its proximity to J17 of the M4, is ideally placed for logistics activities.
Planning policy context
The planning case for expanding the Park is extremely compelling.
Wiltshire Council supports inward investment to deliver jobs and growth – already demonstrated through it previously approving planning permission for phase one of the Park. This location is part of an economic Growth Zone (Swindon M4) identified by the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Local planning policy supports economic growth including developments on unallocated sites outside of defined settlements where they are essential to the wider strategic interest of the economic development of Wiltshire. The council’s Core Strategy acknowledges that Wiltshire does not have land available in the right location at the right time to meet business needs – and that includes sites for logistics operations. National planning policy states that significant weight should be placed on the need to support economic growth.
Huboo and FurnitureBox are both clear examples of local businesses thriving with the right facilities in the right location – and we feel the planning context should support this proposed expansion.