A Tory councillor in Kent has urged Remainers “not to have a go” as plans for Ashford’s controversial post-Brexit lorry park are revealed.
The Department for Transport (DfT) is inviting people to submit their views about the 66-acre spot next to Junction 10a, even though work began on the site four months ago.
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) deputy leader Cllr Paul Bartlett, who lives close to the site, is urging people to get involved, as long as their opinions are constructive.
“This is a serious consultation and people need to embrace it,” he told the Kentish Express.
“It is not an opportunity for the Remainers to have a go at Brexit, but it is an opportunity for the people who want to genuinely have a say about the impact it will have on the community.
“The SDO does need to demonstrate that they have had a public consultation; this is an important part of that.
“We don’t want people saying afterwards how they wish things were different – they have got to engage with it now.”
Earlier today is was revealed that portable toilets could be installed alongside roads in Kent in case lorry drivers get stuck in congestion following the end of the Brexit transition period.
Transport Minister Rachel Maclean told the Transport Select Committee there are plans for the toilets and sanitary facilities to be installed in Kent and other parts of the country which might be hit by transport delays.
She said: “We have detailed plans that we’ve worked up for provision of not only Portaloos but other facilities for drivers, and not only in Kent, should it be necessary, should there be stationary traffic, but also in a range of other areas throughout the country, because we really want to minimise the impact on those drivers who are already working really hard.”
