Haulier defends new warehouse plan amid fears of major traffic disruption

A Norfolk haulage firm’s plans to modernise its warehousing requirements and create more jobs has drawn criticism from nearby residents, who have objected to HGV movements on local roads.

However, Roger Warnes Transport in Great Dunham said the replacement of its existing shed will have no impact on the number of lorries running through villages and that transporting animal feed was largely driven by the weather.

The company, which has been based on the site near Kings Lynn for more than 50 years, wants to reconstruct the existing storage building because it said it had come to the end of its life, vermin were now able to gain access and severe condensation was building up.

But after the council received a raft of objections claiming the number of lorries would soar if its plans got the green light, with children travelling to the nearby school at risk, the haulage firm said it would contact the local primary and help pupils understand its business.

Ian Barclay, operations director at the company, said: “The bottom line is it’s nothing to do with the shed replacement in terms of their complaints; it’s traffic.

“But in agriculture, it’s driven by the weather more than anything.

“We have an HGV restriction from 5am, but the reality is it depends on the time of year. It might be 5am or 7am.

“But once we are out of the site, we are away for the day.”

He added: “We are thinking about engaging with the local school and getting pupils up in a lorry to show them what the driver can and can’t see.

“We want to take some of the fear away by giving them a greater understanding.”

The company said the shed reconstruction was part of a wider investment strategy that will also see a £2m fleet replacement: “An additional couple of jobs are being created on the warehouse side of things too,” said Barclay.

“It needs looking after, not just on loading but cleaning and road management as well.”