Plans to reduce the impact of delays caused by Operation Stack on the M20 in Kent have been revived after the County Council revealed Westenhanger as its preferred site to build a new lorry park.

This 300 space park near junction 11 will, it is hoped, be the first of several new facilities forming a Kent lorry park network. It is thought that the network would also reduce the number of HGVs parking in residential and industrial areas overnight.

This week's announcement follows refusal by Government in 2011 to fund a much larger lorry park on the M20 between junctions 10 and 11.

Kent County Council’s environment and transport cabinet committee recommended the Westenhanger lorry park to be the best of three initial options. The other sites discussed were land adjacent to Ashford International and at the White Cliffs Business Park near Dover.

Operation Stack is currently used by Police to park lorries on the M20 when services across the English Channel are disrupted.

Road Haulage Association's infrastructure manager Chrys Rampley said Operation Stack is not being implemented as often as it was a few years ago. But she added: “We are in favour of additional facilities for drivers to combat some of the antisocial issues that are occurring due to overnight lorry parking, including littering.”

However the leader of Shepway District Council David Monk said: “I don't believe that proper consideration has been given by Kent County Council to the range of other site possibilities or the visual impact of building a large lorry park on this highly visible greenfield site.”

A public consultation on the preferred site is expected to take place early next year, with construction set to complete in May 2018. Kent County Council has secured £12.7M in reduced rate borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board to construct the lorry park.

(Photo: Barry Davis)

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