Calls for transparency on lorry park

‘Tarmacking over huge swathes of land is clearly going to have an impact...’

Ashford MP Damian Green says there is no reason why the Environment Agency should not publish its assessment of the impact of a huge Brexit lorry park in Sevington.

The 66-acre site next to Junction 10a is being used to check hauliers have the right customs papers to travel to the continent and now operates round-theclock following the decommissioning of the Manston airport site, which was also used to carry out checks.

But the agency has refused to disclose its impact assessment after the Kentish Express made a Freedom of Information request for details.

It argues it is not in the public interest to release the documents.

Mr Green said: “I think the Environment Agency should publish the details – I see no reason why it should be kept secret; it is not particularly confidential.

“They will have done an assessment and on the whole, having lorries is not likely to improve the environment so I imagine it was quite negative.

“My main concern for the

future is that they stick to the deal arranged with the Department for Transport that the other half of the site between it and Mersham is turned into a long-term screen area which will be of huge benefit to the people of Mershan and Sevington as some compensation for having the lorry park on their doorstep.”

Last week, Labour formally called on Environment Secretary

George Eustice to intervene and release the information.

Shadow Environment Secretary Luke Pollard tabled a question to ministers formally requesting the documents be published.

“It is wrong to block the publication of this assessment and absurd to do so on these grounds,” he said.

“Tarmacking over huge swathes of land is clearly going

to have an impact on the environment.

“People deserve to have all the facts about the impact this lorry park has had after the Conservatives’ incompetent handling of our withdrawal from the European Union.”

Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con), the deputy leader of Ashford Borough Council, says he has written to the Department for Transport urging officials to release

information in the interests of transparency.

The Mersham and Sevington South with Finberry representative, who lives just a stone’s throw from the site, said: “I genuinely believe we need to see some positive engagement on this; it is no good just clamming up.

“The Environment Agency has been reasonably helpful in the past; I find this [response] out of character and I hope we can pressurise them to provide some element of the information in the days ahead.”

The Ashford Green party has also criticised the decision.

Cllr Steve Campkin, who represents Willesborough, said: “The people of Ashford have a right to know what’s going on.

“The government has circumvented due process at every step of this development, imposing it on our community by means of a Special Development Order rather than going through the standard consultation process.

“Now it seems determined to obfuscate the true scale of the issues it is causing.

“I regularly speak with people in Sevington and Willesborough and the increase in air, noise and light pollution, as well as the effect on the physical and mental wellbeing of residents cannot be understated.”

■ What do you think? Email kentishexpress@thekmgroup. co.uk

Pictures: Esprit Drone Services and Barry Goodwin The 66-acre facility off the A2070 link road opened in January and sits next to the historic Sevington church; the huge site was previously earmarked for an industrial estate