Funding concerns as council to buy land for Brexit border checks
Purchase near port approved
A COUNCIL will buy land to house a new border control point to carry out customs checks following Brexit – but concerns about funding remain.
Portsmouth City Council has approved the acquisition of l and next to Portsmouth Inter national Port and Mile End Road, which will ensure required border checks can be carried out as required by gover nment from July.
Details of the site, including cost, remain under wraps due to commercial sensitivity, however it is known that it will occupy an area off Kettering Terrace near the bottom of the M275.
The decision to press ahead with the purchase was made during a council meeting yesterday.
Speaking at the virtual meeting, Tom Southall, the council’s assistant director for property and investment, said: ‘Clearly this acquisition is important in ter ms of t he preparations for the port for the border operating model.
‘This decision needs to be taken urgently to facilitate that.’
Council leader, Councillor Gerald Ver non-Jackson, said: ‘ This is an important part of national infrastructure we are talking about and therefore we needed to make sure this came forward fast and we’ve had approval to do so from people within the council.
‘This land is needed with the change in our relationship with the EU.
‘We need to be able to have space to do examinations of imports coming in to the UK to make sure that things are safe and that what’s in the lorries is what’s being declared, and we’re working very closely with gover nment to deliver this.’
However, as reported, it was thought necessary adjustments to the councilowned port due to Brexit – including the border check point – would total around £25m.
The council bid for £32m out of a £200m port infrastructure fund from gover nment last year, but found out in December it would only be awarded £17m – leaving an £8m shortfall.
Cllr Vernon-Jackson added: ‘There are some funding issues but we hope we’ll get over that.’
Other measures are already underway, including lorry checks being carried out at the Tipner triage point.
There are some funding issues but we hope we'll get over that. Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, council leader