1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192 
Nightowl's Wolverhampton site at risk of redevelopment
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The truckstop may be able to stay open for some time, even if planning permission for warehousing on the site is granted. David Harris reports.
THE OWNER OF the land occupied by the Nightowl truckstop at Junction 1 of the M54 near Wolverhampton confirmed last week that it intends to redevelop the site as warehousing.
Kilmartin Property Group is about to put in a planning application to South Staffordshire Council. Director Simon Bowder says that whether the truckstop is able to continue operating depends both on planning permission being obtained and on the size of any subsequent scheme.
Even if planning permission is granted, it is possible that the truckstop could continue to operate for some time if the development scheme is a phased series of smaller warehouses.
But a big development would probably mean the truckstop's closure, Bowder admits.
He adds that the type of development will be governed by market conditions as well as planning permission. The unpredictability of the planning process means the timescale for the project is uncertain: "It could take two months, it could take two years."
Last week (31 August) saw the closure of another Nightowl truckstop at Alconbury (CM 9, 16 and 30 August) — all truckstop closures are bad news for hauliers because of the national shortage of secure overnight truck parking space.
Murdo MacDonald, Nightowl's MD,was unavailable for comment this week, but in the run-up to the Alconbury closure he admitted that it was difficult for truckstops to find land that could be profitably used for parking.
-Every year several truckstops close because they are uneconomical," he warned.
South Staffordshire Council will not comment on Kilmartin's application to redevelop the M54 truckstop until it has received the planning application.
FOR MORE ON THIS ANN RELATED SUBJECTS
www.roadtransDort.com/cnl