British Land's plans for a pioneering "zero emission" last-mile delivery underground logistics development in London's Paddington have been recommended for approval ahead of a Westminster planning committee meeting next month.
The Crossrail Box by 5 Kingdom Street extends eastwards under the existing 4 Kingdom Street, the Hotel Novotel London Paddington at 3 Kingdom Street) and 1 Kingdom Street buildings, is approximately 8m tall and has an open south aspect over Paddington's railway.
The space, which is now vacant, was used for the storage of materials during Elizabeth line construction. It was originally intended to to be railway sidings for the line, but these have been moved further west.
British Land is planning to develop an urban logistics hub and package distribution centre as part of its major strategic drive into last-mile urban logistics in London.
The sides of the box would be enclosed and a new mezzanine floor added to provide 141,351 square feet of B8 (the use class for storage and distribution) floorspace. A single storey structure would be added at podium level, between 1 and 3 Kingdom Street to provide pedestrian access to the box for employees. The hub will be serviced by HGVs and the goods distributed by e-cargo bikes, which will be released in two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Westminster council will be considering the impact of the proposals on the highway network and on neighbouring residential properties. The planning recommendation includes an agreement that British Land makes a £1 million contribution towards cycle infrastructure improvements in the vicinity.
The key argument will be that while the development will result in some increase in the number of HGV vehicle movements, it will significantly reduce the number of LGV movements into the city and will allow for the “last mile” to be zero emissions.
British Land announced a major strategic move into logistics development at the beginning of 2021 saying it would be "leveraging its skills in site assembly", planning and delivering complex developments in London and its strong relationships with retailers, as it looked at urban logistics development opportunities inside the M25, where it believes rental growth prospects are most compelling.
For a review of how it has rapidly built a £1.3 billion logistics pipeline including innovations in underground and multistorey development click here.