£30m bill for Scots border checks after Brexit deal
Construction of a new border post near the ferry terminals in Cairnryan in south west Scotland is set to cost the taxpayer around £30 million.
The planned “inland border facilities” – to open in late summer next year – are required following Brexit, with the trade deal with the European Union requiring customs checks on various products such as high risk foods and animals.
The border post, which is yet to have a finalised location, will cost £30m to build and to get up and running, according to a new government contract made public by Public Contracts Scotland.
Construction of a new border post near the ferry terminals in Cairnryan in south west Scotland is set to cost the taxpayer around £30 million, with plans for it to open in late summer next year.
Plans for the ‘inland border facilities’ are required following Brexit, with the trade deal with the European Union requiring customs checks on various products such as high risk foods and animals.
The border post, which is yet to have a finalised location, will cost £30m to build and to get up and running, according to a new government contract made public by Public Contracts Scotland.
The need for the border post was described as a “direct result” of the “reckless approach to Brexit” by the UK Government, the Scottish Greens said, with the Scottish Government claiming the bill would be met by the UK Government.
Around 400,000 freight vehicles and 400,000 cars travel through the two ports at Cairnryan, operated by Stena Line and P&O Ferries, with links to Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland.
Concerns about large delays at the ports were raised before the agreement of a trade deal between the EU and the UK in late 2020, with plans agreed to use a nearby airfield as a lorry park if delays at the ports became unmanageable.
The airfield, which is used by light aircraft and was a former RAF base, is owned by the crossbench peer the Earl of Stair at Castle Kennedy and was the location of the temporary lorry park until it was stood down due to low usage.
The location of the more permanent structure, which will be operational for at least five years, is yet to be confirmed, but the airfield is likely to be considered a leading contender.
The former home of the ferry terminal in Stranraer is the preferred location for the border post by Dumfries and Galloway Council and was viewed as an opportunity to redevelop the derelict site, which was left vacant in 2011 when the ports moved seven miles north to Cairnryan.
Reacting to the cost, Scottish Greens co-leader and Europe spokesperson Patrick Harvie said: “The need for this border control post is a direct result of the Tories reckless approach to Brexit and their contempt for the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland.”