Row over proposed lorry park off M20

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Transcript

00:00This greenbelt land could soon be a HGV park, catering for 200 lorries at any time.

00:08Proposals for moto hospitality have been in the works for almost three years,

00:13but refused twice by Tunbridge and Morling Borough Council.

00:17The outcome was based on the setting of the area, but that decision is being appealed

00:21and will now sit in front of an inspector at a public hearing this week.

00:26They will obviously give their last chance to try,

00:29but I'm confident that we have strong grounds for refusal

00:34for the aspects of Greenbelt and area of outstanding natural beauty next door to this site.

00:39So I would say that those two areas would be really, really strong refusal grounds for this development.

00:47If approved, it'll see an amenity building, a fuelling station and a new roundabout,

00:53just off junction 2A of the M26.

00:56But locals say this area is heavily congested already and an accident black spot.

01:02And take a look at this.

01:04Just last week, a lorry crashed into the verge of the motorway,

01:07next to where the service station is proposed.

01:11There are fatalities on quite regular occasions on a Friday afternoon,

01:15where the lorries are joining and any traffic that's joining the motorway just on that junction

01:19can take us sometimes five to ten minutes to even exit our driveway

01:22because the traffic is coming down here at speed and then comes off that roundabout at speed.

01:26So again, adding more to that will just add more congestion, more trouble to us.

01:30In a statement, Moto Hospitality says their proposals are aimed at helping to alleviate

01:35the national shortage of HGV spaces nationwide and within the county on a nightly basis.

01:42Kent County Council Highways originally objected to the plans, but have recently changed their mind.

01:48The local KCC member disagrees. He says a lorry park is needed, but Wrootum is the wrong location.

01:55The likely coming, and it will be decided next May by the Minister, of the Third Thames Crossing

02:00means that the traffic from that is likely to join the M20 at junction 6

02:06and a services, a Moto type or an HGV facility, an enlarged facility at junction 8

02:14specifically for HGVs is the obvious way to go.

02:18The planning inspector will decide whether or not to give planning permission to this location.

02:23If not, it'll be back to the drawing board.

02:26But there are currently no proposals from Moto for a location further down the M20.

02:33Gabriel Morris, in Wrootum.