Kentish Express Ashford & District
A20 lorry spaces debate ends with no decision made
A planning committee spent 80 minutes deliberating as to whether or not 15 spaces should be allocated to lorries on the A20, before failing to reach a decision.
The application referred to open space at the rear of the Airport Cafe in Ashford Road, near Sellindge, and asked for temporary permission to be granted until December next year.
This is despite nearly double that number of lorries already using the space without the relevant permissions.
Shepway District Council’s planning committee heard from Sellindge resident Paul Hanson at the meeting last week.
Mr Hanson said the vehicles are already “squeezed like sardines” on the site and asked that the application was rejected on the grounds of safety.
This was supported by Linda Headley, the clerk for Sellindge Parish Council.
But after an hour and 20 min- utes of debate, during which opinion was split across the council chamber, a decision had not been reached.
Chairman of the planning committee Cllr Clive Goddard said: “I am shutting this [the debate] down, no one is resolving this.”
Advice was given by Lisette Patching, the development control manager at Shepway council, that the lorry park oper- ator would be able to continue without any of the conditions proposed by the council.
These included the temporary nature of the park, all engines being switched off when parked and that lorries should only sit in allocated bays.
Alistair Scott, the applicant’s agent, said: “There are currently 28 trucks using the site in two ownerships, but this is only for 15 trucks.
“There is an extreme need which is not catered for by central government.
“This location is vital for the drivers.”
He said plans included pamphlets in six different languages telling drivers to turn left and not to drive through Sellindge.
The committee eventually agreed to defer the application, pending further information about how the conditions will be regulated on site.
The site has been under planning scrutiny for three years.
An application for 73 parking bays in the opposite Otterpool Quarry was refused last month forcing it to cease operation within 14 days.