A partnership of developers, transport infrastructure owners, industry organisations and local government has this month launched a major new initiative - branded Logistics Hub UK - to promote Doncaster and the Sheffield City Region as a leading UK location for logistics companies.

The project is being driven by private sector businesses with logistics sector interests in Doncaster and Sheffield City Region, with the support of Business Doncaster - Doncaster Council's business support agency - and Doncaster Chamber. 

The Logistics Hub UK partnership includes some of the UK's largest developers, transport infrastructure operators and landowners, including:

The Peel Group: One of the UK's leading infrastructure, transport and real estate investment companies, with investments in Doncaster including Robin Hood Airport Business Park  .

Gazeley UK: A global developer, owner and manager of logistics warehouses, and developer of the G-Park Doncaster site at M18 junction 4.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport: The UK's newest airport, located in Doncaster and serving Sheffield City Region, Yorkshire and the North Midlands with wide-ranging airfreight handling capabilities and passenger services.

Harworth Estates: One of the UK's largest landowners, with major developments in Doncaster and the Sheffield City Region including the regeneration of Rossington with new housing and the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham - the UK's leading manufacturing Technology Park.

According to Steve Gill, Managing Director at Doncaster Sheffield Airport and a key champion of the Logistics Hub UK project, there has, in recent years, been a gradual realisation, both within Sheffield City Region and the wider UK logistics sector, that Doncaster has joined the UK's premier league of logistics and distribution locations.

'Doncaster is well established as a prime location for national and regional distribution centres', Steve said. 'We've got available, competitively priced sites, a central-UK location and excellent multi-modal transport connections. That's attracted large-scale operations from companies including Amazon, BMW, Tesco and Asda/Walmart. But it's the recent and forthcoming large-scale investments in multi-modal transport infrastructure that have provided the motivation for the Logistics Hub UK project. They give Doncaster a genuinely world-class 'multi-modal' logistics offer, and we want to make sure the logistics sector hears about it'.

Doncaster's major, forthcoming infrastructure investments include:

• The FARRRS Link Road:  a £56m road infrastructure project, now under construction, providing a direct connection between M18 junction 3 and Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The road will reduce airport drive times significantly and open up major new development sites targeted at the logistics sector.

• iPort: a major new 'inland port' development at M18 junction 3, providing  large-scale, rail-linked distribution warehousing and an inter-modal container facility, with customs clearance/bonded warehousing on site. Access to iPort will be via the new FARRRS link road.

Follow Logistics Hub UK, Doncaster

Via logisticshubuk.com, the Logistics Hub UK project team will provide regular 'News' updates regarding the progress of Doncaster's major infrastructure developments and available logistics sites in Doncaster and the Sheffield City Region. We'll also provide high-quality, factual information and data regarding Doncaster, the Sheffield City Region and the logistics sector, to assist companies in the process of selecting and evaluating UK locations and sites for logistics operations.

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