The UK Government is making it easier to build new distribution centres, and the warehousing sector is right to welcome it. The proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework explicitly recognise storage and distribution as essential economic infrastructure for the first time. More land. Better locations. A faster, more certain planning system.
For the warehousing and logistics sector, this is significant news. New distribution centres will be built. New fulfilment sites will open. And for the businesses investing in those facilities, the decisions made at the outset will define how well those operations perform for years to come.
Getting the building right is one thing. Getting the equipment right is another entirely.
The Cost of Choosing the Wrong Warehouse Equipment
A new distribution centre is a blank canvas. It is also a rare opportunity. Once racking is installed, workflows are established, and teams are trained, changing direction becomes expensive and disruptive.
Clare Bottle, CEO of the UK Warehousing Association, welcomed the changes directly.“The NPPF is a major step forward when it comes to building the warehousing the country needs. We have been calling for distribution and storage centres to be treated as essential economic infrastructure, and this document gives them the prominence they deserve.”
She is right. And the prominence this policy gives the sector also raises the stakes for getting the next phase right.
Equipment choices made at the start of a facility’s life tend to stick. That means the decision between diesel and lithium forklifts, between a single-purpose truck and a flexible total warehouse solution, between the cheapest option and the right option, carries more weight than it might appear at the time.
Clare put it well when she said “warehouses aren’t just big sheds, they are increasingly modern, automated facilities, which will be essential for growth, secure supply chains, job creation and the decarbonisation of the economy.” That description doesn’t fit a facility running ageing diesel equipment and patching together a materials handling operation with mismatched kit from multiple suppliers.
It fits a facility that was set up properly from day one. And as The Forklift Experts, Trucks Direct has seen first-hand what happens when that decision goes the right way, and when it doesn’t.
Why Lithium Forklifts Are the Best Choice for New Distribution Centres
If you are building or fitting out a new distribution centre, starting with diesel or LPG equipment is a decision you will likely revisit within a few years. Emissions regulations are tightening. Energy costs are rising. And the operational advantages of lithium are now too significant to ignore.
As Clare noted, the sector has already been hit hard on employment costs, regulation and business rates. The last thing any operator needs is an equipment choice that adds to those pressures over time. Lithium removes cost and complexity from the equation rather than adding to it.
Lithium electric forklifts deliver consistent power from the first lift of the day to the last. There is no performance drop as a battery depletes. No mid-shift refuelling. No exhaust emissions to manage in an enclosed space. And significantly lower running costs over the life of the equipment.
Opportunity charging changes the way a warehouse operation works. Rather than scheduling battery changes or planning around refuelling windows, lithium trucks top up during natural breaks in the working day. In a multi-shift operation, that flexibility translates directly into uptime and productivity.
Maintenance requirements are lower too. Fewer moving parts means fewer service visits, less unplanned downtime, and more predictable operating costs over the long term. For a new facility trying to establish efficient workflows and control costs from the outset, that predictability matters.
A Complete Lithium Warehouse Solution From a Single Forklift Supplier
One of the most common mistakes made when fitting out a new distribution centre is treating each equipment category in isolation. A counterbalance truck from one supplier. A reach truck from another. Pallet trucks sourced separately. Floor cleaning equipment as an afterthought.
The result is a facility with no unified service structure, no consistent warranty terms, and no single point of accountability when something goes wrong.
As the forklift experts and an authorised GreenPower dealer, Trucks Direct supplies a complete lithium warehouse solution covering every element of a modern distribution operation, providing a single point of contact for specification, pricing, delivery, warranty, and ongoing support across the entire range.
GreenPower’s range includes counterbalance forklifts for heavy lifting and yard work, articulated forklifts for narrow aisle and high-bay racking, reach trucks for extended vertical storage, pallet trucks for efficient load movement at floor level, floor scrubbers to maintain a clean and safe working environment, and scissor lifts for safe working at height.
For a new facility, that simplicity is not just convenient. It is commercially smart. One supplier relationship built on the full scope of the operation, not a single transaction. Better pricing, cleaner contracts, and a team that understands the whole warehouse, not just one piece of kit.
Future-Proof Your Distribution Centre With Lithium Equipment
Clare Bottle summed up the bigger picture clearly. “By acknowledging the importance of freight and logistics in the Industrial Strategy, and now by putting the force of planning policy behind the sector, the Government has shown that our message is getting through.”
The message is getting through on policy. Now operators need to make sure it gets through on equipment too.
A distribution centre fitted out with GreenPower lithium equipment from the start is better positioned to meet future emissions requirements, reduce energy costs as the operation scales, and attract the kind of occupiers and workforce that expect modern, well-equipped facilities.
The planning system is finally moving in the right direction for the warehousing sector. The opportunity to build more, faster, and in better locations is real.
The question for every operator, developer, and logistics business involved in those new facilities is straightforward. Are you going to set them up properly, or are you going to spend the next five years catching up?
Trucks Direct are The Forklift Experts and an authorised GreenPower dealer, supplying a complete lithium warehouse solution for new and existing distribution centres across the UK. Counterbalance trucks, articulated forklifts, reach trucks, pallet trucks, floor scrubbers and scissor lifts. Everything you need, from one place, at the right price.
Speak to the Trucks Direct team today to find out how GreenPower can equip your operation from the ground up.