Kent truck park 'might not be completed until 2011'
Date: 19 March 2008
Kent County Council has said that it could be several years until hauliers are able to enjoy a proposed truck park designed to ease congestion at Dover.
Website RoadTransport.com has reported that the local authority has managed to find a suitable site for the stop for hauliers using the M20 road, but added that it will now have to negotiate a price to purchase the 70 acres of land and apply for permission to develop the site.
In all, officials said that it was unlikely the truck stop would be completed before 2011.
What's more, the website reported that the government has so far refused to guarantee that it will provide funding for the project, despite the fact that hauliers have claimed it is vital if congestion on the routes to the continent are to be eased.
A Department for Transport spokesman explained: "We will consider this proposal very carefully. However, like any other request for government funding, it will have to be properly evaluated to ensure it represents value for taxpayers' money. We appreciate the current concern and will examine the proposal as quickly as possible."
Council leader Paul Carter wrote on his blog that a scheme to charge foreign haulage drivers could help fund the scheme.
"The Brit Disc would charge all foreign hauliers when entering the UK through Kent. This money could be ploughed back into ensuring the residents of Kent do not have to suffer every time French ferry workers down tools," he explained.
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