Kentish Express Ashford & District
New Brexit lorry park almost ready
Huge 66-acre facility set to fully open soon
A huge lorry park built specially for Brexit is on track to fully open at the beginning of March.
Weather delays meant only part of the ‘Sevington Inland Border Facility’ next to Junction 10a opened to drivers at the end of the transition period in January.
Using nearby Waterbrook Park as a temporary customs check facility, work has been ongoing with a completion goal of the end of February.
And according to Ashford MP Damian Green - who visited the site last week - builders are likely to complete work on the customs section of the new 66-acre facility by March.
He said: “It’s on track as it can be after a week of snow, but certainly the HMRC part is pretty much finished and should open at the beginning of March.”
Mr Green noted the site’s second phase of construction, a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs facility to check outgoing food and produce, will shortly be under way with a target of opening in early July.
He thanked those working on it and praised the Army personnel who have been carrying out Covid tests on the plot since it opened to truckers at the start of January.
“Everyone’s been working incredibly hard on the building work and also the processing of the trucks,” he said.
“I met the Army operation commander and some of his soldiers doing the tests, and they were doing brilliant work.”
Mr Green’s visit coincided with the military’s last day on the site, as civilians took over testing duties at the weekend.
They had been trained by the Army personnel, who were apparently “confident” in the ability of the trainees, noting they were “picking it up very quickly”.
Theresa May’s former deputy said: “It’s all down to experience, and I’m sure the new staff will do brilliantly.
“That also applies to the drivers, some of whom have now been through the process one or two times before. Hopefully that will make it simpler and quicker as time goes on.”
The update comes a week after HMRC invoices revealed almost £6 million had been spent on renting the Waterbrook Park site as a temporary lorry park.