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DONCASTER, UNITED KINGDOM
IPORT
iPort is the UK’s most advanced intermodal logistics hub, providing sustainable transport solutions with connections to regional, national and international supply chains via bespoke, state-of-the-art infrastructure including its own rail freight facility. RLB has been pivotal to the successful delivery of this project, one of the largest logistics park developments in the UK.
Situated near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, iPort offers unparalleled connectivity – 91% of the UK’s population and its main container ports are all within four hours’ drive. The 800-acre site has direct access to the M18 motorway via the Great Yorkshire Way link road, while the M18/A1M intersection is just two miles away. When complete, the facility will create an estimated 5,000 jobs and provide six million sq ft of logistics and light industrial accommodation operating 24/7. Tenants already include Amazon, Lidl, CEVA Logistics, Fellowes, Woodland Group and Maritime Transport.
At a glance
- ClientVerdion
- ServicesCommercial Success, Contract Administration and Employer’s Agent, Project Management, Procurement, Health & Safety and Assurance, CDM and Principal Designer
- sectorLogistics & Manufacturing
- LocationDoncaster, England
Integral to the project team
Working closely with the site’s developer Verdion and its investment partner, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan, RLB married together skills and expertise in different disciplines, and adhered to the highest standards of quality and safety, to deliver best-in-class industrial and logistics facilities. Our experts were an integral part of the on-site project team, and our responsibilities included developing the initial client brief, coordination of multiple internal and external stakeholders, and the procurement and management of contractors.
Supporting the local community
RLB was instrumental in ensuring that 65% of the entire supply chain for the project was within a 30-mile radius of iPort, boosting the local economy. Working alongside Verdion, the local authority and other stakeholders, we facilitated improvements to the surrounding road networks to enhance public transport links, including 5.5km of new adoptable standard carriageway and footpaths, plus associated lighting, street furniture and drainage.
RLB’s team have worked collaboratively with us from the beginning of the project and their cost and project management expertise has provided cost assurance and certainty of delivery. By fully understanding our aspirations and protecting our interests at all times, they have enabled us to achieve our commercial goals.”John Clements, Executive Director, Verdion
Improved climate resilience
We negotiated the diversion of St Catherine’s Well Stream through the centre of the site, resulting in a net gain of over two hectares of developable land, and project managed three million cubic metres of bulk earthworks, which raised the site by 2m above the flood plain. This allowed the creation of a 300-acre wetland area made up of five lagoons, capable of storing more than 350,000m3 of water, increasing to 650,000m3 in 2025. which has significantly improved local flood resilience.
The site incorporates back-up pumping stations to the north and south to ensure it can withstand a 1 in 100-year storm event, even allowing for climate change. Our team was involved in the extensive modelling that was undertaken to provide resilient surface and foul drainage systems, which also reduced the rising mains requirement by 10%.
Connecting to the grid
Another of our key tasks was assisting in negotiations to provide a 52MVA power supply capacity to the site and we worked closely with an appointed independent distribution network operator to deliver this. The offsite high-voltage supply required over 8km of cabling and trenching through a site of special scientific interest and under the M18, as well as crossing over a railway line.
Our team negotiated an 8MVA export generation contract with Northern Power Grid and National Grid, and managed the installation of EV charging points across the site. We oversaw the construction of new gas and water connections servicing a total demand of more than 22,400KW/hr and 44l/s respectively.
High-volume transport by rail
RLB also project managed the development of iPort Rail, providing procurement, cost management and employer’s agent services. When it opened in 2018, iPort Rail was the UK’s first inland strategic rail freight interchange to become operational in over a decade.
Able to accept Euro Gauge container traffic and up to six 775m-long trains daily, the facility connects to the East Coast Main Line and the national rail network via the South Yorkshire Joint Line, to the west of Doncaster. Work is underway to double the size and storage capacity of the terminal and increase the number of trains it can accommodate daily.
Sustainability at project’s heart
Sustainability has been a key consideration throughout the project. More than 4km of new walking routes and cycle paths were constructed, promoting low-carbon travel to and from the site. All facilities at iPort have achieved at least an A-rated Energy Performance Certificate and a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating for overall environmental performance. The wetlands area has been incorporated into a nature reserve managed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, providing a dedicated amenity space with a wide diversity of flora and fauna for the benefit of the local community.
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