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Mixed news for future of Kent's M20 truckstops
Page 14
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CM COVER STORY By Roanna Avison and Chris Tindall THE FUTURE OF Ashford truckstop off the M20 in Kent looks much brighter after a European project to boost security at lorry parks helped it back into the black but plans for an additional site to relieve Operation Stack traffic have been delayed.
Controversial plans by Kent County Council (KCC) for a truck park to remove lorries from the M20 when the Port of Dover is closed are unlikely to be submitted before the summer.
KCC had hoped to have the plans ready by the spring, but a spokesman says it has taken longer than expected to get all the environmental information together.
The site, near Aidington, sits between the M20 and the high-speed rail link, and is "ideal because it is situated far enough up the M20 to cater for traffic destined for Dover and the Eurotunnel at Ashford," a spokesman adds.
Meanwhile, the truckstop in Ashford appears to have a more stable future. There had been fears that spiralling rates for the land were turning the site for drivers into a loss-making enterprise. However, general manager Richard Welch says it is no longer losing money and is expected to remain open for the foreseeable future. Welch says investment from Setpos, the EC secure truck park project, is the main reason for the truckstop's change in fortunes: "It's all to do with additional security and the refurbishment surrounding that," he says. "It's associated with completely resurfacing and revamping the entrance and additional CCTV. It's definitely along the lines of the service we provide.
• See page 18 for more on the parking crisis.