Over the last week I have been in contact with many people across the District regarding the proposed lorry parking scheme for the M20 motorway near to Stanford. Given the massive disturbance caused by Operation Stack last summer, there are many people who say we should get on and build the lorry park straightaway, whilst others have questions about the schemes. Whatever your views, it is important that everyone who has been affected by Operation Stack has their say in the consultation on the government’s proposed solution.
I have a clear preference for the site to the west of Stanford. Rather than created one large lorry park for 4,000 vehicles, it splits the facilities on either side of the M20. This allows for the expansion of the Stop 24 motorway services to provide parking for 1,300 lorries as part of the solution. This option also allows for the lorries to directly access and exit the parking area without disturbing other local roads. The additional parking area on the north side of the M20 would be linked into the expanded Stop 24 services by a bridge, so that all of the traffic can be managed within these two sites. For the other proposed parking area, to the north of junction 11 of the M20, Highways England have acknowledged in their consultation document that it will cause additional traffic on Stone Street, and would also have a greater impact on the North Downs area of outstanding natural beauty. This alternative location also requires a greater loss of land, and would be a single parking area for up to 4,000 vehicles.
You can hear my interview on BBC Radio Kent here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03cvct8#play (Go to 02:07:00)
The site to the west of Stanford has received the support of Kent County Council, Shepway District Council and Hythe Town Council. I believe that the difference between the proposed sites being consulted on is so great, that I would urge residents to give a clear preference between the two, even if they have concerns about the scheme in general.
In addition to asking for people’s views about where the lorry parking facilities should go, Highways England are also asking about what they should be used for. Of the four options they have given, mine is for ‘Option 3’, which would allow the parking area to be used for overnight parking, to get HGVs off of our local roads and laybys. We should also use the facilities to end the traffic management scheme on the A20 into Dover, which already causes considerable disruption. Instead, congestion into Dover on the A20 could be managed by holding back lorries in the M20 parking area. I do not support the idea of turning the new lorry parking areas into permanent, 24-hour motorway services. The expanded parking area at the existing Stop 24 services at junction 11 can already provide this support if the Stanford West location is chosen.
The Highways England consultation documents have also made clear that compensation will be available if residents see the value of their home negatively impacted as a result of the lorry parking proposals being delivered. For more information: https://www.gov.uk/compensation-road-property-value (the lorry park is a 'road' for this purpose). Please let me know if you have any questions about this. I will take forward to the Department for Transport any residents concerns about the compensation scheme, including after the consultation period closes at midnight on 25th January.
