Highways England consults on M20 lorry park to prevent Operation Stack repeats

Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2016 |

Highways England has opened a public consultation on its proposal to create a permanent lorry area adjacent to the M20 at Stanford – halfway between Folkstone and Ashford - to relieve congestion when the ferry port at Dover is busy or channel crossings are delayed.

Up to £250m was set aside during November’s Autumn Statement to create the area where lorries can wait to cross the channel without disrupting the flow of the motorway or the surrounding areas.

When French workers went on strike last summer, cross channel freight traffic was parked on the motorway, between 24 June and 4 July, causing gridlock and travel problems for the south-east corner of the country.

Natalie Chapman, head of policy for London, South East and East of England at Freight Transport Association tweeted at the time: "Great to hear Govt has committed £250m to fund a long-term solution for OpStack - now let's get on with building it!"

The consultation runs until 25 January and the questonaire can be found here. Responses to can submitted online, by email or by post:

Online: www.gov.uk - search for ‘Managing freight vehicles through Kent.
Email: m20lorryarea@highwaysengland.co.uk
Post: M20 Lorry Area, Highways England, Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4LZ

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