End of consultation on £250m lorry park plan

Building work due to begin next year after mixed response

Consultation on controversial plans for a £250 million lorry park off the M20 to deal with Operation Stack comes to an end this week, marking a key stage in the scheme.

Building work is scheduled to get under way on the site at Stanford next year, taking into account any possible changes to the design.

The consultation on the lorry park and how it will be accessed has drawn a mixed response.

Opponents have not ruled out taking legal action over the £250 million park plan, which would cater for 3,600 lorries.

They say it would blight the area and fail to address the continuing surge in hauliers to and from the Continent.

However, local MPs, Kent County Council, Shepway District Council and hauliers have broadly welcomed the project, with KCC arguing that it should also be used for overnight HGV parking throughout the year.

The Port of Dover and Eurotunnel have also come out in favour.

Highways England says that it will now consider any suggestions made during the consultation to see if they can be incorporated into the scheme.

A spokesman said: “The decision to go ahead with the park has already been made. What we are now doing is looking at the responses we have received. Final plans will then be drawn up.”

The proposed site is west of the M20 junction 11 at Stanford West. New entry and exit slip roads will also be built on the eastbound stretch of the M20. Balfour Beatty has been appointed as the lead contractor for the project.

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A computer image of the proposals for how the proposed M20 lorry park could look