Kent villages fear 'Amazon' project could mean a giant warehouse

The Guardian reports from Kent, the garden of England, on Amazon’s plans to build a new distribution facility in the south-east of the country. This is one of those stories where supply chains and the societies they serve collide in a conflagration of interests – everyone loves buying stuff via Amazon, but no one wants their warehouses next door. And while the road infrastructure needed to serve a new DC would cost tens of millions, something local businesses say would be of great benefit, local council leaders remain unconvinced and are “concerned about the possibility of the company bringing the “worst kind of corporate citizenship” to Kent by taking advantage of government subsidies and then avoiding tax and using zero-hours contracts and agency workers”.