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LONDON'S first freight corn plex came a step nearer thi week when the Greater Lon don Council's transport corn mittee agreed to continui negotiations over a 16-acn site at Neasden.
The multi-million pourn venture is to be the first of series of complexes bull around London to enable load: to be split and help to keel heavy vehicles out of th4 capital.
At the meeting the corn mittee agreed to reaffirm sup port for the plan andauthor ised discussions with Britisl Rail, owner of the site, on joint planning application.
The complex is planned t( have distribution depots of ui to 350,000sqft and lorry park: for 100 vehicles plus 400-be( accommodation an ( 70,000sqft of office accommo dation.
Rail sidings will also b( provided on the British Rai land which could allow freigh to be transferred from road t( rail or vice versa.
The complex is planned for site on the North Circulai Road at a point close to th( existing Neasden rail depoi with a link road giving eas5 access to the North Circular.
In a report to the GL( transport committee it i! revealed that part of the. road has already been built b3 the Brent Borough Council a! part of an access route to housing estate and develop. ment of access to the Wemb fey Stadium.
The report also says that. until now the role of the GLC. Ln the project has been one of dentifying a suitable site and 'hiding a developer, but it ;uggests that the council )ught to take some more iirect interest and control in .he project.
There is no shortage of .-:ompanies prepared to take )art in the development of the site. Six are prepared to take some share of the development — but as yet no tenders have been issued.
British Rail plans for a car transport depot on the site have been dropped, but BR still wants part of the site for a hypermarket shopping scheme.
It is thought that this part of the plan may be doomed from the start and in the GLC report it ominously says that it may not get the necessary planning approval.
The freight complex scheme is seen as providing an opportunity for the improvement of facilities for freight in London and reasserting the importance of the capital in trade.
It is thought that the site could mean jobs for up to 1,100 people in a depressed area.