Believe it or not there are national Planning guidelines in place to protect the environment, communities, and individuals from the worst impacts of development. The policy that covers the impact of freight transport on local communties is Planning Policy Guidance 13: Transport, the full guide can be found here but the section that supports our claims can be found under Freight:
46. Freight movements, particularly those serving developments near to residential areas and in town centres, are often restricted in their hours of operation, through the imposition of conditions, because of concerns over disturbance to residents. However, these restrictions can have the effect of exacerbating congestion during peak times, increasing local pollution, and discouraging further investment in central urban locations. Policies need to strike a balance between the interests of local residents and those of the wider community, including the need to protect the vitality of urban economies, local employment opportunities and the overall quality of life in towns and cities. Local authorities, freight operators, businesses and developers should work together, within the context of freight quality partnerships, to agree on lorry routes and loading and unloading facilities and on reducing vehicle emissions and vehicle and delivery noise levels, to enable a more efficient and sustainable approach to deliveries in such sensitive locations.
Leeds City Council Planning Department has openly stated that they decided that the impact of the ARLA Foods and the Royal Mail distribution depots would be acceptable - the interests of local people were not considered!
