Sustainability is a core part of our business philosophy and we were pleased to support this trial to provide clean, green, public transport
Steve Haddock, Prologis UK
Less than twenty years ago, our development at The Bridge in Dartford was a derelict, overgrown site. Today, The Bridge, a joint venture between Prologis and Dartford Borough Council, is home to over 1,500 new houses, 80 acres of public open space, schools, leisure facilities and a thriving business community. It’s also a development with sustainability at its heart.
From the very outset we set-out to build an environmentally-friendly community. This commitment was recently recognised when The Bridge won a Silver Award at the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice, for its role in supporting an electric bus trial on the development.
Working with Kent County Council and Volvo Bus, Prologis and JLL (who manage The Bridge development on behalf of Prologis) supported a seven-week trial of an electric bus on Fastrack A – a high quality transport concept that links Dartford with Joyce Green, The Bridge, Crossway Business Park, Greenhithe Station and Bluewater shopping centre.
The trial, which ran between March 21st and May 9th, provided the opportunity to gather valuable data around CO₂ emissions, gain passenger feedback and will enable Kent County Council to understand how electric buses might operate across the county in the future. During the trial, a pantograph charger was temporarily installed next to the Prologis bus stop at Greenhithe Station on The Bridge, enabling the bus to charge on route in just six minutes.
Prologis UK has been providing funding for the Fastrack A service for over a decade and this award really underwrites the importance of property companies working in conjunction with local councils and communities to promote green travel. Sustainability is a core part of our business philosophy and we were pleased to support this trial to provide clean, green, public transport.
Tina Smith, Park Manager at The Bridge, who submitted the award on behalf of JLL and Prologis, believes the accolade demonstrates the benefit of having a strong sustainability policy:
“Environmental awareness and sustainability have always been at the heart of our vision for The Bridge,” she said. “This is a vision shared by the people and businesses who call The Bridge their home and their support really helped to make this initiative a success.”
