The owner of haulier JD Owen is to submit planning application for a truckstop on the A55 he believes the need for secure truck parking is greater than ever.
Dai Owen, owner of Mold, Clwyd-based JD Owen, is preparing plans for a truckstop at A55/J31 for submission to Flintshire County Council. He has been working on the plans for about 18 months, but says an attack on one of the firm's drivers has highlighted the importance of truckstops for the safety of drivers.
"One of my drivers was attacked when parked up off J16 of the M6 at the beginning of March and was beaten up so badly that he's still not back at work," he reports. "This shows that something needs to be done before there's a fatality."
Owen adds that providing somewhere safe where drivers can park up, eat, have a wash and get a night's sleep is becoming even more necessary in light of such violence.
As well as a truckstop, Owen's plans include office units because "the numbers show that a truckstop on its own will not be financially viable. I believe that the site we've chosen is a convenient site for a tacho break for trucks travelling from Dover to Holyhead".
Jack Semple, director of policy at the Road Haulage Association, supports Owen's move and says the RHA is urging the government to recognise the need for truckstops: "Lorries need more areas to park, but they also need more security in those parking areas.
"The problem is that lorry parks are low priority and aren't everybody's favourite use of land. With the possible closure of the Leicestershire truckstop we support any move to open new ones."
