THE Amazon distribution centre and accompanying delivery service base could bring up to 750 jobs to the Redditch area.
That’s the prediction of borough council Leader Councillor Matt Dormer who hailed the development as a ‘game-changer’ for the town.
Coun Dormer and Redditch MP Rachel Maclean recently visited Amazon’s 10,000 square metre ‘fulfilment centre’ – which dominates the Eastern Gateway skyline – and which is currently is expected to be fully operational by this autumn.
When it opens it will create 300 jobs and up to 600 jobs in total by autumn 2022.
An accompanying Amazon delivery station on Hedera Road, Moans Moat North is expected to create up to 40 permanent jobs, in addition to the more than 100 driver opportunities for Amazon Logistics’ delivery service partners and Amazon Flex delivery partners.
Coupled together the developments could see more than 750 jobs created in total.
However local residents have expressed fears over the expected increase in traffic – plans for Amazon development feature loading bays for more than 100 HGVs and parking for another 100.
Figures put before Redditch Borough Council in 2018 suggested up to 59 per cent of Eastern Gateway traffic could be routed through Redditch.
Although the M42 / A435 junction has been upgraded for traffic heading north it is feared southbound vehicles will route through Redditch itself, creating further jams at the already busy Rough Hill Drive / Slough island before joining the A435 at Spernall, another bottleneck.
Coun Dormer said: “We know the pandemic has hit our economy hard, and so the creation of hundreds of good paying jobs is something Redditch will be in need of as we recover from the impact of the pandemic.”
