Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘IT’S UNFAIR!’
■ Shock as secret plans for huge postBrexit lorry park revealed ■ MP Damian Green hits out at government’s ‘wrong-headed’ project ■ 27-acre site was previously earmarked for industrial estate
A huge post-Brexit lorry park is to be built on the outskirts of Ashford after the government snapped up a site previously earmarked for a sprawling industrial estate.
Thousands of HGVs are set to be held on the 27-acre spot close to Junction 10a of the M20 as ministers aim to alleviate pressures at Dover and reduce hold-ups at the port.
But MP Damian Green is vehemently opposed to his government’s plan, saying it is “unfair to Ashford” as it is “too near too many homes for it to be the right place”.
The scheme had remained secret until Friday when a letter – which was due to be delivered to residents living near the site at the weekend – was sent to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) deputy leader Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con).
The site in Sevington has had planning permission since 2015 for an industrial estate, which was previously dubbed Stour Park but was rebranded as MOJO last year.
Now, the government plans to use the land as a temporary holding station for lorries waiting to travel to the continent, while also carrying out customs checks on in-bound HGVs.
In the letter from Rachel Maclean, MP and parliamentary undersecretary of state for transport, she said: “We are writing to inform you that the Department of Transport has purchased the site known as ‘MOJO’ (Church Road, Sevington).
“Plans have not yet been finalised for the use of this site, but is anticipated to form part of the department’s strategy to minimise potential disruption at Kent ports
for the end of the transition period.
“This is likely to involve temporary capacity for the holding of delayed HGVs and facilities for border-related controls to be carried out by government agencies (eg HM Revenue and Customs).”
ABC was only given a few hours’ notice of the deal but Mrs Maclean said work was due to start on the site on Monday (July 13), with fencing and a temporary site office expected to be installed.
But when the Express went to press, work was yet to begin and residents living
nearby had not received the letter.
Mr Green said the government had intended to deliver the letters by hand over the weekend, but didn’t because it hadn’t completed the purchase of the site.
“I was told on Saturday they would complete the purchase by Monday or Tuesday,” he told the Express.
“There should have been some sort of consultation about the plan.
“There was no indication at all, which I am not impressed by – it’s never been on the radar.
“So many new houses are being built in that area and it will mean people are buying homes in good faith not knowing this was planned.
“It’s also close to the William Harvey Hospital, where any disruption to traffic in the local area could literally be fatal.”
Mr Green says he wants a “cast-iron guarantee” the plan is “only an insurance policy and there’s no intention to build a permanent outbound lorry park”.
He added: “Part of the proposal is for a small, in-bound customs checking area.
“That won’t be a full-on lorry park of the sort I and others oppose so that’s not unacceptable. But it’s exactly the wrong place to hold thousands of lorries going out through Kent.
“They are planning to use it as a holding station for lorries if the Channel ports are blocked after the transition period ends in December, because Manston will not be available.
“It could mean several thousand lorries being stored on the site, even if Operation Brock [on the M20] is in force.
“No one has suggested using this site as a lorry park in the many years of discussions on the subject, and it is too near too many homes for it to be the right place.
“I think this would be hugely disruptive for everyone in the area, and we have had no indication in all the years of discussion over the M20 that this site would be
It will mean people are buying homes in good faith not knowing this was planned
used for this purpose. I have received assurances that this use would only be temporary, but I am sceptical.”
Mr Green says he hopes the temporary holding area for delayed HGVs will never have to be used.
“Ideally, it won’t be used at all,” he said.
“If the border system works efficiently then, even in the early days when you expect glitches, it ought to be the case that Operation Brock can cope with any delays at the border so you won’t have to use the site.
“That will be the best solution but, if that doesn’t happen, then I don’t want them thinking they have solved the long-term problem of where to put a lorry park in Kent, because it absolutely mustn’t be this site.”
In 2014, Amazon was rumoured to be taking on a huge warehouse on the site after a leaked ABC document seemed to confirm the news in writing.
But work never started at the spot, which is now set to be accessed via a new entry point off the link road between the A2070 and Junction 10a roundabouts.
■ For more reaction, see pages 8-9