Written evidence submitted by Mrs Margaret Cooper (OPP0061)
I would like to add my objections to many others that have been made about the proposed Lorry Park in Stanford
I am very sceptical about the figures that have been claimed by Damian Collins and would like to see evidence that proves they are correct.
Mr Collins states: £1.5 million a day is lost to businesses due to stack, where is the evidence of this? Where are all the small businesses that must have been bankrupted?
Cost to the UK of £8billion? How will a lorry park stop this loss in the future?
Mr Collins admits that there were 7000 HGVs involved in stack, a lorry park holding 3,600 will still leave 3,400 parked up on the M20.
Damian Collins also admits that within the next ten years freight traffic will increase from 10,000 to 16,000 in a case of stack where will this increase of traffic go?
Greater increase in cross channel capacity by both the Channel Tunnel and the ferry companies alongside improvements in regional road networks is needed.
It's common knowledge that the ferries and trains were running “light” during stack.
Damian Collins undoubtedly knows that a queue will still be a queue whether on the M20 or in a field, it will still take time to move through the system.
Unfortunately with the HGVs in one huge lorry park this would keep the pollution in one concentrated area, at least while on the M2 it is spread over 36 miles.(still not good enough)
I recently read a report by Kent Police, which states “HGVs are still being parked in lay-bys even though there are spaces in lorry parks”
What makes Damian Collins and Highways England believe the HGV drivers will use the proposed lorry park? Even if the police attempt to enforce this, if the drivers do not have the funds to park in this lorry park how can they be “forced” to use it?
I would also like to point out a recent proposal (released to the public after the local and PCC elections) that Shepway Council are to ask the government if they can put forward a plan for a “Garden Village” which would have 12,000 new home within 1.5 miles of the proposed lorry park, this is totally unacceptable, the pollutants from the lorry park alongside the pollutants from a potential 24,000 private vehicles would surely break the EU rules on pollution?
The joint circumstances for operation stack last year will probably never happen again.
In the meantime channel tunnel, the ferries and roads could be increased/updated to accommodate the predicted increase in traffic for the future.
Knee jerk reactions won't solve the problem.