Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) has a new depot, which is a great improvement on the old one. Let me convince you how interesting the new depot is!
The new depot is behind the Sainsburys on Hadleigh Road. Ironically, next door to the old depot at Gipping House on the Hadleigh Road Industrial Estate, which is set to be converted into a Recycling Centre by Suffolk County Council (SCC).
The new depot is called Layard House, after Nina Layard who directed multiple archaeological digs in Ipswich, which included the Blackfriars monastery in town, Foxhall Road and Hadleigh Road, near where the depot is located.
The site is beside the River Gipping and all necessary steps were taken to ensure that it does not have an impact on the river or any other part of the environment. A comprehensive drainage system is buried underground to smooth the water flow and prevent flooding.
The project includes a new warehouse building, two storey office building and all associated external facilities including wash bay, refuelling area, storage areas, electric vehicle (EV) charging, substantial hard-standings, and landscaping.
The site also includes a separate Vehicle Maintenance Unit (VMU) for maintaining IBC’s vehicles. This will allow vehicles to stay on site for repair, reduce the potential carbon footprint of repairs (e.g. when vehicles must be towed or transported to another facility) and minimise repair times.
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is used to measure the sustainability of buildings and is independently assessed. The site was developed to the highest rating of “Outstanding” and will play a big part in meeting the Council’s pledge to be carbon neutral.
The site is now occupied and is home to about 250 council staff who work in Waste and in Maintenance for council housing. The site has nearly 300 solar panels, which power the whole site.
The design will make it easier to maintain the high standards of safety and provides much better working conditions for employees. They won’t need buckets to catch the drips like in the old depot.
There will be a one-way system for safety which means that reversing of Heavy Goods Vehicles will not be needed. It also allows the building tradespeople to move logically around the site to collect from stores or from their lockers (parts are ordered online and dropped into individual lockers) and for bulky items, like baths. There are light and spacious offices. A table made in 1984 by the IBC apprentices is still in use in a meeting room.
In terms of carbon reduction, the infrastructure for an all-electric vehicle fleet has been put in place. About 40% of the vans are now electric – I saw the latest batch of twenty vehicles when I was there last week. The aim is to have all IBC vehicles electric by 2030, though bin lorries might be later. Some of the vans being retired now are 12-13 years old, as IBC aims to get good value for money from the fleet.
There is a large storage area, which looks a bit like B&Q, especially as it has orange racking! There is enough space for the Events team to store their equipment, like tables and gazebos. A tool hire area, where heavy power tools can be checked out for specific jobs is available and there is a well-equipped wood workshop upstairs.
The new depot will enable us to continue meeting IBC’s refuse and recycling needs and be a base to maintain our council homes for decades to come. It’s outstanding for environmental sustainability and a great modern and spacious workplace. Told you it was interesting!