Folkestone truck park will be a success, says boss
Page 10
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
By Chris Tindall THE BOSS of a newly opened truck park at Folkestone services, which has spaces for 82 lorries, is conident of its success because it has been designed with the driver in mind.
However, Paul Wells, MD at ChannelPorts, also says that retaining his business interests in other areas is key to ensuring his new lorry park venture remains viable.
The site, sandwiched between the M20 and the high-speed rail line, offers drivers secure parking, showers and toilets, food designed especially for HGV drivers, and a rest room with TV and Wi-Fi access.
“If you’re building a lorry park, you have to do what drivers want,” says Wells. “The biggest complaints are quality of toilets; the shower rooms are too small and grubby; and nobody cares about the driver, so we designed everything with all that in mind. It will never be perfect, but it will be better than some places.” Although there is only a chain link fence around the site, there is CCTV, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and roving security patrols.
“We aren’t operators; we do customs clearance. We know what the average costs are and what our competition charges,” he says. “We can price ourselves more competitively than Ashford because of our other business interests.” The Road Haulage Association (RHA) welcomes the truckstop’s opening and its service to the industry. “It’s absolutely needed,” says RHA infrastructure manager Chrys Rampley.
● A promotion running until the end of September provides overnight parking for £15 (€20) and a 20% discount voucher is available from www.channelports.co.uk