Plan to build new Kent home for DPD and create 250 jobs

By Stephen Emerson

15 July 2022

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The current Marley Tiles site in Kent

Plans have been lodged to create a new site for delivery company DPD that would create 250 jobs.

The proposal would see the redevelopment of the Marley Tiles site (pictured above) near Wrotham which sits on the A20/London Road and offers easy access to the M26 and M20.

The bid has been submitted by Panattoni with the plans now open for public consultation.

Redeveloping the existing site would create a DPD parcel delivery facility to support online and high street retailers by delivering their customers’ purchases to their doors. The centre would also manage collections from this part of the South East for onward distribution to customers.

Tony Watkins, development director for Panattoni, said: “This is one of those exciting win-win projects. It is a brownfield site in the Green Belt that can be put to more efficient use while also generating local environmental benefits in terms of its biodiversity.

“The project includes the delivery of a modern new home for Marley Tiles and helps keep its existing jobs here in the borough, thanks to our nearby development at Aylesford.”

Panattoni is the company behind the successful £180m investment in Panattoni Park Aylesford, creating 3,000 logistics and distribution jobs on the former 90-acre Aylesford Newsprint site close to junction 4 of the M20.

DPD has agreed a long-term lease for a purpose-built 58,000ft facility on the eight-acre site, subject to planning permission. In addition to creating and retaining the equivalent of 250 full-time jobs, the site would also support a further 325 jobs in the distribution supply chain, and 429 direct and indirect construction jobs during the 10-month build programme.

Marley Tiles, the site’s current occupier, has also announced it has signed a long-term lease with Panattoni to relocate its Wrotham operations and team of eight employees to Panattoni Park Aylesford, with plans to expand its Kent workforce.

Tony Watkins added: “The site has been used for manufacturing and distribution since the 1950s and today it offers a perfect location for state-of-the-art logistics, while also generating significant local employment.

“It has been designed to minimise its visual impact and incorporate the latest environmental technologies, such as solar pv panels and EV car charging, to create a high performing, environmentally efficient building for DPD.”

By Stephen Emerson

Stephen Emerson is the Managing Editor of The Business Magazine and is responsible for the publication's print publications and online properties including the newly launched Biz News websites in Hampshire and Dorset.

Stephen has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked at local, regional and national publications and led a team which made The Scotsman website one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK with over eight million monthly users.

He has a keen interest in technology, property and corporate finance and telling the stories of the people behind the successful firms in these sectors.