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Making his mark
Page 16
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The Alconbury lorry park closed in August 2007, forcing an outcry from local residents and hauliers. Now Mark Stanojevic has stepped in to save the day...
Words: Gnris frndaUi Images: Graham Richardson ALCONBURY in Cambridgeshire is about as sleepy and typically English a village as you can find. A brook runs alongside the green, ducks waddle about aimlessly, and a local cricket team plays in the shadow of a 12th century church.
Yet less than half-a-mile away sits a 10-acre truck park that, for the past two years, has alerted villagers to the crucial needs of lorry drivers passing by this slice of rural tranquillity.That is because. until now, the facility has been closed.
Mark Stanojevic enthusiastically skips over loose tiles, drill leads and electricians' equipment to show Commercial Motor how the lorry park should look once the restaurant, bar, shops. toilets and showers are stripped hack and refurbished.
"He's hyperactive." jokes a colleague earlier in the park's shop. It looks very much like he needs to be.
In August 2007, the Alconbury lorry park shut its gates. Owner Wrenbridge wanted to develop the land for commercial property purposes, which meant tenant Night Owl was given its marching orders. There then followed a realisation by locals that the absence of secure overnight parking was causing HGVs to park up in all sorts of inconvenient places. Consequently, Wrenbridge came to the conclusion that getting planning permission was not going to be as easy as it thought because the council was getting complaints from irate residents Relief at sale The land became Wrenbridge's albatross, and one can only guess at the relief it felt when it managed to sell the site to Stanojevic and his business partner. George Heys, earlier this year. The two men have effectively bought half the site each; the price they paid is not disclosed, but CM understands it was in the millions. That doesn't include the £29,000 already spent on the security camera system, as well as money for barriers, repaving and the several hundred thousand pounds needed to sort out the facilities. Not that any of this worries Stanojevic.
"The location is fantastic, it's purpose built," he says. "The place was always full by seven at night, Monday to Thursday."
Stanojevic is engaging and passionate about this project. He knows he is going to have around 10 lean years while bank loans are repaid, but he is absolutely certain the lorry park will turn a profit. That was why he approached Heys about buying the site. His wife is Heys' cousin and Heys' son Robert also works at the truck park, making this a true family business.
The two owners have a background in transport and Stanojevic has the benefit of more than 25 years' experience operating service stations. At the moment, he manages the Al Service Station at Wansford, near Peterborough, and his time is divided between running that and setting up Alconbury.
Any driver turning up here now can park up safely overnight for £10, refuel, have access to toilets and basins and buy food from a temporary burger van while the refurbishment continues. You can even buy AdBlue; Stanojevic says he recently sold 400 litres in one day and expects the volumes sold to increase over time.
Once all the facilities are up and running, the cost will rise, but he says it will probably only be by a flyer. "Over £20 is a rip-off," he says. "It'll be closer to f15."
What is most striking is his commitment to giving people good quality food and service. Stanojevic says drivers have told him they were unhappy with both of these under the previous management, and he is adamant that success or failure hinges on these factors. "If they are not getting treated right, they will go elsewhere," he says. "Without the drivers this won't work. If we keep them happy we will keep them coming back. It's about making sure what they want is here: that there's a little bit of entertainment here at night and bar facilities, so they don't get bored."
Stanojevic hopes to get three food franchises in to compete side by side and therefore keep standards high. He says Subway has expressed an interest and he wants someone else to cook traditional "meat and two veg" food. A third supplier could he KFC or McDonald's.
Robert Heys joins Stanojevic in his office and both men agree with Orwell Crossing truck park boss Karl Rout's recent comments that it doesn't matter how many lorry parks are built, there will always be a hardcore who will pocket their allowance and park up in a lay-by. Rout says the solution is to ensure drivers retain receipts that Revenue and Customs can check (Letters, CM 11 June).
"If you want trucks off lay-bys, you have to enforce it," says Heys. "We offer two hours' free parking, which makes drivers' lives more comfortable."
The park has space for 200 lorries and Heys and Stanojevic are in no doubt that they will all be used eventually. Heys produces a map of the site and shows how there is scope to expand if needs be. "The more it's used, the better it will get," he says, adding: "If it wasn't for the credit crunch we would be getting it all done now. We are not doing it at multinational speed."
It's lunchtime and outside lorries are trundling into the park. rIWo drivers stand chatting while they wait for their lunch and Stanojevic goes over for a word. They are pleased the site has reopened and point to the fencing all around the park as evidence of the site's security. One of the men recently had his wallet stolen at a service station, the inference being that the lack of suitable sites means many resort to using unsecured parks instead.
Stopping-off point
In the 17th century, Alconbury was a popular stopping-off point for travellen and tradesmen on the Great North Road. Now, on the park's western boundary, beyond the hilly bank that acts as a noise barrier for the peaceful village below, residents must be quiet) grateful for the park's service to today' goods distributors. •