Lorry park on mystery site to hold ‘hundreds’

Council bosses want to turn land near Brenley Corner into a large lorry park.

The project - led by Canterbury City Council and Swale Borough Council - will address the “urgent and unmet” need for official HGV parking facilities in east Kent.

Fed- up business owners last week called for a tougher approach to nuisance lorry drivers who clog up road networks and leave trails of litter, with the Wincheap industrial estate the latest place to be bear the brunt of the issue.

Many drivers have turned their attention to the city because a successful trial in Ashford has seen almost 2,000 HGVS clamped in a year.

If the plans for a new lorry park between Canterbury and Faversham do come to fruition, then Canterbury and Swale councils will also be granted powers to clamp those who refuse to move on from restricted zones.

The exact site of the land near Brenley Corner is yet to be revealed, but it will cater for hundreds of vehicles and offer toilet and eating facilities.

With construction likely to be funded by the councils rather than the private sector, drivers who arrive for the night will have to pay an entrance fee - with the income benefitting both authorities.

City council leader Simon Cook, who insists the plans are not Brexit-related, believes everyone will benefit.

“We get the best of both worlds,” he said.

“The problem is getting worse. I can’t blame the lorry drivers as they have to stop somewhere and have strict rules over time - I do have extreme sympathy them.

“This lorry park along the A2/M2 corridor will provide them with a decent, safe place to get their rest.

“So far, we have had helpful preliminary discussions, and there are many issues that need to be investigated.

“At the moment, we don’t have the powers to clamp lorries as we don’t enough spaces to move them onto.

“Ashford have enough spaces so are allowed to clamp them. By getting this lorry park, we could then use those powers.

“This isn’t just a ‘let’s get a lorry drivers project’. It will work for everyone.”

A report to the council’s policy and resources committee next Wednesday recommends councillors authorise officers to carry out detailed investigations into the issue. Swale counterparts will consider the topic at its cabinet meeting the following Wednesday.

If approved, the authorities will work “swiftly” to undertake further investigations into planning concerns, land issues and legal implications.

Swale Borough Council leader Andrew Bowles said: “It’s been about 15 years since I first started trying to find a solution to this issue, and now it looks like we finally have the chance to make real progress. People across the borough have suffered from inappropriate lorry parking - and unsightly side-effects from a minority of drivers - for too long.”

If the land near Brenley Corner cannot become a lorry park, other locations in Swale - not Canterbury - will be considered.

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