Community
GLP is committed to providing social, economic and environmental contributions to communities in our areas of operation.
Our approach to community engagement and involvement is best typified in a case study of our Magna Park Lutterworth, United Kingdom.
Magna Park, located near Lutterworth in Leicestershire, is widely regarded as Europe’s Premier Park. Developed over the last 30 years, it has set the benchmark for logistics clusters in terms of the quality of the environment, infrastructure, job creation and customer care.
The park is situated in the heart of the Midlands, bound by the M1, M6 and M69 motorways. Commonly known as the “Golden Triangle”, this part of the United Kingdom is the optimum site for logistics due to its strategic position in the centre of the country.
The park accommodates 32 buildings and 8.5 million sq ft of logistics space. Total employment exceeds 9,300 jobs, 70% of whom work in direct logistics roles with the other 30% in management, sales, IT, administration and related occupations. The 9,300 jobs at Magna Park account for more than 20% of all employment in the Harborough District; with the planned expansion proposals, this figure could rise to 15,000.
Since the start of development in early 1987, Magna Park has contributed significantly to the development of the local economy and infrastructure. GLP is committed to investment in Magna Park and the surrounding region, and is continuing to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to the community as well as the wider logistics sector.
Current proposals for a natural extension to the existing Magna Park (subject to planning) provide for an additional 4.6 million sq ft of new distribution and logistics warehousing, including a Logistics Institute of Technology (LIT) with campus and outreach facilities for 1,000 students, an Innovation Centre and a 173 acre public park. At the heart of the country park will be the Deserted Medieval Village of Bittesby, a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This will complement the existing Magna Wood where over 1 million trees have been planted to form a mature woodland setting to the park.
Beyond the education of the next generation of logistics workers, the LIT’s applied research institute will work in collaboration with the industry to drive innovation to significantly reduce the sector’s environmental footprint, supply chain costs and improve customer service levels.
The proposals also include an investment in a rail container handling terminal to facilitate greater access to rail freight and this is expected to reduce the impact on local congestion. The plan delivers a range of further economic, social and environmental benefits to the area including job creation and specialist education opportunities. This commitment to the local economy and society is also underlined by the Magna Park Community Fund which has, to date, donated more than £60,000 to local community projects and initiatives.
In addition to the 9,300 jobs already created at Magna Park, the proposed expansion will generate an additional 5,800 permanent jobs on-site across a range of disciplines. A further 1,634 construction jobs are forecast to be created over the duration of the development’s construction. The logistics sector provides a stable and secure source of employment, and a range of career opportunities in a dynamic and technologically advancing industry.
The completed development will generate an additional circa. £12.4 million annually in business rates for the district and a further circa. £300 million of GVA.