M20 lorry park scheme dropped by government
Common sense has prevailed. The government’s ill thought out scheme to build a massive Lorry Park on the M20 near Sellindge have been dropped.
Protests Marches and local opposition have brought democracy back to the area and demonstrates that a fight against injustice can be won.
Whitehall officials decided not to defend a judicial review and will go back to the drawing board to examine other options to deal with problems caused by implementing operation stack.
Any future application will have to be made under the Planning Act which the abandoned scheme failed to carry out.
The curtailed scheme, which was championed by Shepway, has hit the ratepayer in the pocket. There will possibly be calls for resignations for the planning of a project that was bound to attract fierce opposition and fail because it was being implemented with unproven legal procedures.
Roads Minister Jesse Norman admitted the scheme was flawed by saying “…we need to go through the proper procedures to ensure our plans, which include a lorry park, best fit the needs of Kent and the freight industry.”
Rye’s Own Bulletin Wednesday 15 November 2017