DP World has agreed to lease a 7,500 square metre site next to its Southampton container terminal to develop facilities for lorry drivers.
This investment will deliver driver facilities including a restaurant, showers, toilets and 24-hour security, as well as increasing the size of the storage area used for containers moved by road and rail.
The project is worth £15 million ($18.48 million). DP World is developing the facility to build on the £40 million ($49.27 million) already invested at the Port of Southampton.
“The overnight lorry park will provide access to amenities [drivers] need to do their jobs safely and well,” said UK Chief Executive at DP World, Ernst Schulze.
“The new land will also free up valuable storage space to expand further our rail interconnectivity. Our investment in rail at both Southampton and London Gateway eases congestion on the roads, with 300,000 trucks taken off UK roads each year.
“Last year we launched a new intermodal train service connecting our logistics hubs at London Gateway and Southampton, as we continue to build our end-to-end capability,” Schulze added.
The new site is expected to be fully operational this year and has been leased from the Port of Southampton’s owner, ABP.
Alastair Welch, ABP Southampton Regional Director, commented: “This new facility will significantly improve driver welfare as well as reducing the number of vehicles having to park up for rest periods elsewhere in the local area.”
The construction project is supporting 1,000 jobs and the port-centric logistics park will employ a further 12,000 people when it is completed in five years’ time.
Over the last 10 years DP World has invested £2 billion ($2.46 billion) in the UK, supporting thousands of jobs.
READ: DP World invests in RMGs at London Gateway
Another £1 billion ($1.23 billion) of investment has been earmarked for the UK over the next 10 years, making this country the company’s largest investment outside the Middle East.
