Decision details

To determine the preferred site for the delivery of the first lorry park (Phase 1) of a network of lorry parks across Kent, based on the detailed evidence to be provided and once determined approve:

a) the work to undertake land acquisition, including commencing the Compulsory Purchase Order process;

b) the undertaking of a public consultation exercise on the preferred site later in 2014, and;

c) Commencement of project development work and submission of a planning application.

Financial Implications:  £10 million grant funding is being sought from the Single Local Growth fund which in combination with the £12.7 million reduced rate Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) borrowing which has already been secured, will be sufficient to deliver the first of potentially 3 new lorry parks across Kent.  The project has already secured Project Advisory Group (PAG)’s support to spend capital budget on the project development work. The principle that the grant funding will be spent first and any gap in funding will be filled using PWLB borrowing has also been endorsed. Initial work on the business case has been carried out and depending on the operating model, the lorry park could provide a future income to KCC over a number of years. 
Legal Implications: Legal advice will be sought throughout the development of this project to ensure we are complying with the necessary UK and EU regulations in delivering a commercial lorry park.
Equality Implications:  An Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out for this project and will be attached with the relevant Cabinet Committee report.

The matter is included in the budget book 2014-15 at page 32 row reference 4.

This project directly supports the strategic aims of KCC. 
It ‘helps the Kent economy to grow’: it will encourage inward investment in to East Kent, improve business productivity by alleviating congestion and unreliability (avoiding a loss of £1m/day during Operation Stack) and reduce wastage of public money associated with managing Operation Stack and dealing with inappropriate overnight lorry parking.  Kent’s Business Advisory Board states the impact of Operation Stack on their businesses is substantially negative and therefore it is hoped that the improvements described will also help to tackle the perception that Kent is not open for business, currently an unwanted misconception that occurs as a result of the national publicity that Operation Stack receives.
It ‘tackles disadvantage’: by reducing accidents, improving quality of life for Kent’s residents, reducing illegal and unsuitable lorry parking (including overnight parking) in Kent, improving drivers’ dignity and helping them to follow the EU Drivers Hours Directive, improving the perceptual image of East Kent from a tourism perspective and reducing the amount of public resources diverted to the management of Operation Stack.

AsCabinet MemberforEnvironmentandTransport Iagreethat:

a)     theCouncil'sprevious proposalto addresstheimpactsofOperationStackthroughthe constructionof one largescalelorryparkat Aldingtonas setout in "GrowthwithoutGridlock" (December 2010)isnot pursued;

b)     thesite off theM20 Junction11 atWestenhangeristhepreferredlocationfor the construction of alorryparkas the firstphase ofthe delivery ofa network oflorryparks across Kent;

c)     schemedevelopmentwork to takeforwardthe delivery ofthispreferred sitebe progressed immediatelyinconjunctionwithKCC Property andInfrastructureGroupincludingnecessary officeror memberdecisions,dependent on theparticulargovernancerequirements, regarding landacquisitionand securingplanningconsentfor the project;

d)    twostrandsof work,one on HGVparkingenforcement  andthe otheron HGVsigningin the eventof OperationStack beingcalled, beprogressed inparallelwith the developmentwork to deliverthefirstlorry park,and;

e)    considerationof progressinga second lorryparksite aspartof thenetworkof sites across thecounty witha view to deliveringthis second lorrypark withinthe next5-6 yearsis brought back toCabinet Committeeat theappropriate time.