Groundbreaking work in the fields of construction site controls and the management of delivery vehicle movements were key factors in Croydon Council’s pollution team winning a top industry award last week.
At the Freight Transport Association Logistics Awards, held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane, the three-strong team were up against 100 candidates before making a shortlist of four, including Hackney Council, to lift the award for Logistics Champion of the Year for Public Services.
The awards celebrate supply-chain leadership and excellence, and recognise leaders who have made a significant contribution to the industry, either as individuals or as businesses.
In 2005, the team was behind the launch of the South London Freight Quality Partnership which went on to pioneer guidance and regulation for construction logistics plans (CLP). The partnership’s documents have since become the industry standards and are used, copied and rebranded by many bodies, including other London local authorities.
The first major Croydon development to benefit from having a CLP was the council’s headquarters building, Bernard Weatherill House, in 2013. The plan became responsible for:
- 26% fewer vehicle delivery or collection visits to site during the build and fit-out phases in comparison to the initial prediction;
- fewer vehicle movements resulting in less congestion, a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, 2.7kg less particulates, and 266kg less nitrous oxide;
- waste minimisation and management, resulting in 94% recycling of site waste;
- on-time delivery performance measured at 97%, compared to an industry norm of approximately 85%; and
- better control of subcontractors through the use of a contractors’ handbook and embedded contractual requirements for subcontractors.
In 2016, the team started a developers’ forum for Croydon town-centre CLPs. The group meets six times a year and is attended by major developers, haulage operators, consultants, TfL, utilities operators, transport officers, planners, and pollution officers to share knowledge and give guidance, instruction and communication.
This year has seen the council become part of the pioneering Low Emissions Logistics project. This partnership of Croydon, Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth councils has seen many other London councils expressing an interest in joining.
The project aims to combine supplier deliveries and bulk purchase materials across all four councils. And work is under way to look at the feasibility of setting up a single centre to which large deliveries can be made before distribution to individual businesses using smaller, zero-emission vehicles, leading to reduced traffic congestion and less air pollution.
Councillor Stuart King, cabinet member for transport and environment
“This is a fantastic achievement for our pollution team, which has been rightfully recognised as having set the pace on a national basis for the good of the industry and, more importantly, the public.
“Before the team’s intercession, most councils were not controlling air quality and noise through CLPs, and the team introduced many councils and developers to this unknown concept.
“The team’s hard work has changed attitudes to freight within councils and the industry. The public has benefited from reduced pollution and congestion. Developers and contractors have saved money and energy, and the work in CLPs has been pioneering, imaginative and effective.”
