Uniserve set for superport spot? (From Thurrock Gazette)

Uniserve set for superport spot?

3:40pm Wednesday 30th May 2012 in News

UNISERVE is believed to be close to signing up as a key customer at the superport development in Stanford-le-Hope.

The company runs the largest private freight business in the country, and is one of several firms in talks with DP World about operating at the £1.5billion London Gateway deep sea port.

According to reports in national newspapers, Uniserve is planning to build one million sq ft of warehousing in the port’s logistics park, which at nine million sq ft, will be the biggest in Europe when it opens.

London Gateway refused to confirm if it is in talks with the company, but did say the logistics park will open when it has its first customer. A spokesman said: “We welcome everyone’s intent to be at London Gateway.

“Hopefully we will be getting customers in the logistics park as soon as possible.”

London Gateway recently appointed Jones Lang La Salle as property agents for the logistics park.

Andrew Gould, the global company’s UK chief executive, said: “This appointment comes after a huge amount of work over recent years with the London Gateway team planning this extraordinary project and we are really pleased to have an international team working in partnership with DP World advising on delivery.

“It is a world class project and will be a game-changer for the UK economy."

The first berth at the port, off The Manorway, is due to open by the end of next year.

The port is expected to be fully complete within 15 years, and will have six berths, capable of handling the biggest ships in the world.

It will see one of the biggest single creation of jobs in the UK, with around 12,000 direct jobs and in the region of 20,000 indirect jobs.

The aim of the development is to take more lorries off the roads by siting importer’s distribution centres right next to where the ships carrying their goods are unloaded.