News
What next, afterM20 lorry park plan axed?
THE Government has dropped plans for a massive lorry park on theM20 – fuelling worries where officialsmight seek to site it next. Whitehall officials decided not to
defend a judicial review and to re- examine all options. Sources say that land near the for-
mer Folkestone racecourse atWest- enhanger, could become a favoured area for development. ElevenKentMPs recentlywrote to
transport secretary Chris Grayling asking for progress on the now re- jected £250mproject. They are fearful, as are the Port of
Dover andhaulage industry experts, that the M20 will grind to a virtual standstill after Brexit inMarch 2019 with Operation Stack a permanent reality. With no border clearance facility
inplace, itwas hopedin some circles that the proposed 3,600 space lorry park at Stanford West, near Folke- stone, could have been adapted. NowHighways England (HE) has
been tasked to find an interim mo- torway solution to Operation Stack and delivery of a lorry park. There is
virtually no chance of delivering the latter before Brexit as plans are un- likely to be submitted before then. HE project director John Kerner
said: “The disruption that people in Kent suffered in summer 2015 un- derlines the need for long-term im- provements to how traffic is managed when cross-channel serv- ices are interrupted. “ All options will be considered by
HE but StanfordWest still remains a possibility as does another site on the London-bound side motorway as most freight clearance work will be for food imports. Applications will be made under
the Planning Act which would re- quire a time-consuming environ- mental impact assessment, which the failed scheme failed to carry out
and ultimately cost it any chance of success. Roads Minister Jesse Norman
said: “…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.” The lorry park, announced two
years ago by former Chancellor GeorgeOsborne in the 2015 autumn statement,metwithlocal opposition. The new plans for a permanent
solution to Operation Stack will be drawn up by HE before a public consultation next year. HE says that Operation Stack can
be avoided on theM20 usingmove- able or steel barriers to safely stack lorries in the centre of themotorway whilst keeping the road open.
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MPs call for end to traffic burden
MP Helen Grant said: “I am very disappointed, to say the least, at this further delay. The people and businesses of Kentwill have to con- tinue shouldering the burden of Britain's lorry transport woes whilst Highways England slowly unzips its pencil case. “I will be writing to them to ask
why this new process is going to take until 2019 before a planning application can be submitted. Most of the options have surely al- ready been investigated, following the appalling 'Summer of Stack' in 2015, which cost the UK economy £250m.” MP HelenWhately said: “I have
foundHighways England reluctant to consider innovative solutions. “The newproposal to hold lorries
in the middle of the motorway using mobile barriers, while allow- ing traffic to continue to travel in both directions, suggests to me they are being much more ambi- tious in their thinking. Thiswill be a temporary solution, and we still need a proper alternative to Oper- ation Stack. “TheGovernment is nowgetting
straight on with trying to get a lorry park approved through the normal planning process.”
downsmail.co.uk
Pay-out after years of poor dental treatment
A MAIDSTONE man who lost seven teeth after years of decay went unnoticed by his dentists has won a substantial pay out. NigelOakes (61) hadbeen visiting
the same dentist for almost 40 years, receiving countless fillings and crownswhen complaining of severe pain in his teeth. Eventually he sought a different
dentist in 2014, and the new dentist was shocked at his dental health. “I could not believe it,”MrOakes,
a chess coach, commented. “I had spent so much time and money going back and forth to the dentist thinking that Iwas getting the treat- ment I needed. To think, if I had gone to see a different dentist sooner, I may not have needed so much corrective treatment done.” He contacted a compensation-
chasing law firm who analysed his dental records and revealed that his dentists hadfailedtoprovide the ap- propriate care and treatment. A casewas built against two den-
tists in Kent and although neither dentist admittedliability, inOctober this year the claimant says he received an out-of-court settlement
Nigel Oakes, pic- tured with his wife, has re- ceived an out of court settlement following years of poor dental treatment
News
Family pet mutilated
ASICKENINGattackona fam- ily pet has raised concerns that themutilation of a cat inMaid- stone could be thework of a re- peat offender. In August and September of
last year, two animals were killed in the same way in the Sutton Road and Grove Green areas of the town. Their tails had been cut off. In the latest incident, themu-
tilated body of nine-year-old Tilly was left in a neighbour’s garden inWhitmore Street.Her tail had also been removed in the attack. A family member described
of £23,000. Mr Oakes added: “To think that
this isdown to thedentists notdoing their job properly is unacceptable to me. I’ve had to use some of my life savings topay for treatment thatwas either done poorly or just unneces- sary. “I’m relieved finally to be getting
the treatment that I need but it’s just disappointing that it had to get to this point.” Dental
Partnership Law
spokesman Jonathan Owen added: “The pain and financial losses that our client experienced was com- pletely unnecessarily. “If the dentists had provided the
appropriate treatment in the first place then the decades of dental problems he had endured could have been easily avoided. “We hope the compensation re-
ceived goes someway towards pay- ing for the extensive corrective treatment required.”
the attack as clearly deliberate and not thework of another an- imal. The heartbroken owners say they have been left strug- gling to come to termswithhow someone couldinflict suchpain and arewarning other pet own- ers to be on their guard, and have suggested cats are kept in overnight. Kent Police confirmed they
are investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Kent Police on 01622 604100, quoting reference YY/31951/17.
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