Fewer council delivery vans and less pollution in Camden
Camden Council has agreed to go ahead with a new way of delivering goods within the borough to its own buildings, and will be working with partners to extend this within Camden and the North London area.
This new approach helps reduce congestion, air pollution and noise on the roads and it follows a successful one year pilot scheme with Borough partners Enfield, Waltham Forest and Islington.
The London Boroughs Consolidation Centre (LBCC) pilot project has resulted in over 80 of the Council’s suppliers delivering their goods to a consolidation centre operated by DHL in Edmonton, North London. On arriving at the centre, the goods are grouped together into fewer onward deliveries which are driven to their final destination in the city. So there are fewer vans, which carry more goods, and so ensure a reduction in congestion and pollution.
The success of the LBCC pilot project means that Camden and its partners are now searching for a logistics partner to deliver the service on a long term basis.
“With tens of thousands of deliveries coming into our buildings each year, we’ve had to rethink how we could re-organise them in a more economic and environmentally friendly way.
“The pilot has shown that environmental and operational benefits for residents, businesses and Council staff can be achieved. It has seen 50,000 items delivered to over 250 council buildings so far, leading to a 46% reduction in the number of vehicle trips and a 45% reduction in kilometres travelled.
“We have developed a four year plan which anticipates the volume of goods going through the consolidation centre will increase considerably. Already a number of new partners and users have expressed an interest in joining the service including Business Improvement Districts, schools, universities, other London Borough councils, and retailers who are keen to receive the environmental, financial, operational and customer experience benefits.”
The LBCC has received funding support from the Mayor of London (Mayor’s Air Quality Fund) and is part of LaMiLo (last mile logistics), an INTERREG IVB North West Europe (NWE) project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) www.lamiloproject.eu
Ian Short, Chief Executive, Institute for Sustainability said: “Finding solutions to manage the last mile of deliveries that work for businesses, consumers and the environment is increasingly important. Camden’s programme has been hugely successful and is now being rolled out more widely. The Council should be congratulated on both trialling these new approaches and in mainstreaming what has worked well. Their work enables others to follow their lead to reduce air pollution, reduce congestion and combat climate change.”
Paul Richardson, MD of Specialist Services, DHL Supply Chain said: “The Camden Consolidation Centre is a true test-bed, which offers significant economic and environmental benefits to the local boroughs and its residents. We’re excited to be involved, and believe that this could pave the way for consolidation logistics platforms right across the Capital, transforming the face of urban logistics.”
Lee Lyons, BID Manager, Fitzrovia Partnership said: “The issue of reducing the amount of surface transport on London’s streets has become a critical point of late, and The Fitzrovia Partnership BID is delighted to be playing such a prominent role within Camden in utilising the freight consolidation offer to maximise the wider environmental benefits.
“This is an ideal opportunity for the public and private sectors to work in partnership to solve a particular problem by bringing new ideas and vitality to the market place. Being involved with such an innovative project will help to put the spotlight firmly on Fitzrovia and Camden as an area that is working together to tackle poor air quality. Supported by the Mayor, this also serves to bring more economic prosperity to the area in the longer term.”