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Kent County Council is gearing up its drive to ease
congestion caused by lorry traffic in east Kent during Operation
Stack.
The council has shared its plans for a lorry park site close to
the M20 with Transport Minister Tom Harris at a meeting in London
this week attended by KCC Leader
Paul
Carter, Cabinet Member for Highways
Keith
Ferrin and Highway Director Geoff Harrison-Mee.
KCC is proposing that the costs of the £35million scheme should
be met by introducing a 'Brit disc' charge levied on all
cross-Channel lorry movements. Final arrangements for funding have
yet to be agreed.
Keith Ferrin said: "The meeting with Tom Harris went very well
and he was very helpful. We told him we are in a position where we
have a degree of consensus and how we want to make a planning
application in the near future.
"The lorry park will provide huge relief for people in east
Kent. We have lobbied for some time and at last it looks as if we
can go forward.
"Kent residents have suffered for too long from the impact of
lorries when Operation Stack is on. It's time we gave them some
good news."
The lorry park could be open in 18 months to two-and-a-half
years, depending on progress with the planning application.
Read Paul Carter's views on Operation Stack in the
Leader's blog. |