Agenda item

Peter Osborne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport), Andrew Loosemore (Interim Director of Highways and Transport), Joseph Ratcliffe (Transport Strategy Manager) and Mark Welch (Principal Transport Planner) were in attendance for the item:

1.The Cabinet Member Discussed the following:

a)    Introduced the item and explained that it concerned the Dover Border Access Improvement Project and the proposed acceptance and management by Kent County Council of a £20 million government grant.

b)    Explained that the grant would support the Dover Harbour Board in improving outbound border control arrangements at the Port of Dover. Proposed improvements were intended to increase operational capacity within the port.

2. Members raised the following discussion points:

a)    Queried whether an indication could be provided of the number of vehicles that would be accommodated within the port as a result of the proposal.

b)    Officers advised that the port was heavily used and that proposals would create capacity for over 200 additional heavy goods vehicles within the port. It was explained that the additional capacity would be provided within the buffer zone, which served as the principal arrival area where vehicles first entered the port.

c)    Reported that this would be achieved through the relocation of the French border control facilities. Members were advised that the existing facilities were currently located in the north-western part of the port and occupied a significant area close to the main point of arrival.

d)    Border control facilities would be transferred to a vacant area within the eastern docks in the south-eastern part of the port. It was noted that this land had previously been used for container cargo operations but was no longer in active use.

e)    Concerns were raised that the scale of the proposed increase in capacity within the port and questioned the extent to which the scheme would alleviate wider traffic issues affecting the surrounding road network.

f)      Officers addresses the concerns raised and suggested that the additional spacing would ensure that the project would significantly reduce the need for the use of the Dover TAP (Traffic Access Protocol) on the A20 and Operation Brock on the M20 by addressing existing operational deficiencies at the port’s border controls. The project could not eliminate the need for contingency measures entirely; it would look to address the existing border operational deficiencies.

g)    Members acknowledged the various aspects of the proposition but also highlighted the need to continue lobbying relevant authorities regarding capacity constraints on the route to the Port of Dover as access to the port was heavily dependent on a single carriageway route via the A2.

h)    In response to questions regarding the likely impact of the proposed scheme on traffic management measures, the officer advised that, based on the additional capacity provided by the project and the assessment set out within the decision report, the central forecast indicated an approximate 80% reduction in the use of Operation TAP and Operation Brock resulting from capacity-related congestion.

i)      The Cabinet Member informed all Members that additional proposed improvements to queueing capacity within the port and the arrangements would provide approximately 14,000 metres of lane space within the port for vehicle queueing.

j)      Updated on ongoing collaborative work with French partner organisations regarding future staffing arrangements and the operation of border systems. The officer explained that the purpose of this work was to support the continued effectiveness and efficiency of cross-border processes.

k)    Partners would continue to play a critical role in discussions relating to the operation of border processes and measures to improve efficiency and streamline arrangements with the relevant authorities and operators, including the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, and that these relationships would support ongoing improvements to border operations.

RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision, namely:

i.           APPROVE the acceptance of £20m DfT grant funding for the Dover Border Access Improvement Project and entering into necessary arrangements to facilitate and support the Dover Border Access Improvement Project;

ii.          APPROVE entry into the required funding agreement with the Department for Transport and Dover Harbour Board for the receipt, management and deployment of central government grant funding, constituting a subsidy under the Subsidy Control Act 2022, of £20m for the implementation of the Dover Border Access Improvement Project

iii.         DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment & Transport to take relevant actions, including but not limited to negotiating, finalising and entering into contracts and other legal agreements, as necessary to implement the decision.