Village site confirmed for £250m Stack lorry park
Consultation shows support, but parish council calls it ‘reckless’
A huge lorry park off the M20 is to be built to deal with Operation Stack.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin confirmed the government’s preferred site is at Stanford West and would hold 3,600 lorries.
The site lies between Ashford and Folkestone and building work is due to start as soon as possible, with places available from 2017.
Chancellor George Osborne has allocated £250 million for the project, which has divided opinion between villagers, hauliers and MPs.
Matthew Webb, chairman of Stanford Parish Council, expressed disappointment, branding it a reckless disregard for public money.
A critical report by the crossparty Transport Select Committee said the case for the park had not been proven.
But a Highways England consultation showed strong support for a permanent lorry area to reduce or remove the need to close the M20 when freight cannot reach the Continent.
Nearly twice as many people thought it should be at Stanford West rather than to the north of junction 11. Mr McLoughlin said: “The new lorry area will improve journeys for drivers and will not only support the region’s economy but also businesses as far away as Scotland that rely on the M20 to access the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel.”
Last year’s repeated use of Stack had an estimated cost to the Kent economy of around £1.45 million a day, and the country around £250 million a day.
Most people who took part in a consultation supported the idea of a lorry park, with less than a quarter thinking Operation Stack should continue in its cur- rent form. Kent County Council welcomed the news, saying it had been pressing for a solution for years, but said it believed people living in Stanford should be compensated if property values fell.
The government is also exploring using the freight enclosure for overnight parking of lorries, relieving pressure caused by some drivers parking in unsuitable or illegal locations.
New entry and exit slip roads will be built on the coastbound carriageway of the M20, to serve it. The next stage will involve consulting on the details and the environmental impact.