Acting on behalf of Prologis Developments Ltd, NLP secured outline planning permission for a 198,000m2 strategic rail freight interchange (SRFI) at Howbury Park, Erith, within London’s Green Belt. The 63 hectare site in both the London Borough of Bexley and Dartford will provide the first SRFI for the London conurbation, and the decision from the Secretary of State is seen as a pivotal one for the rail freight industry.
The Secretary of State concluded that the benefits of the scheme, primarily related to meeting London’s need for SRFIs and the lack of alternative sites where such development could be accommodated, significantly outweighed the harm caused to the green belt in this location.
NLP prepared an Alternative Site Assessment, that underpinned the case for development within the Green Belt, coordinated the preparation of three Environmental Impact Assessments and acted as expert witness at the Public Inquiry.