Council calls for truck park to replace M20 Stack

The Channel Tunnel fire has prompted Kent County Council (KCC) to renew its call for a permanent truck park to replace Operation Stack, which involves the closure of large sections of the M20. The council says this is good neither for hauliers nor other road users and has identified a site off the M20 where a permanent park could be built. But KCC says it would be unfair for the cost of building a truck park to be solely borne by Kent taxpayers and it wants central Government funding for the project.

Council leader Paul Carter says: "We have identified a site for the lorry park and we are doing all the ground work to prepare a planning application. We know situations will continue to arise that necessitate a permanent lorry park, so we must have a permanent solution." KCC's proposed site would hold 2,500 trucks and is away from residential housing, says the council.