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downsmail.co.uk Fears grow for Brexit chaos


MAIDSTONE counts down the last days of the Brexit transition period with trepidation and uncertainty, with the threat of European lorries gridlocking motorways and rural roads.


The Joint Transportation Board


(JTB) has heard measures across Kent to try to control the problems, but local councillors are fearful. The new digital Kent Access Pass is designed to limit the number of Channel-bound lorries held in Kent at any one time to 7,000. Transport experts told the JTB on October 14 that Operation Brock’s contraflow system will be available on January 1, 2021, while Operation Stack remains Kent Police’s last re- sort.


Board members warned lorry


drivers are adept at dodging rules and that fines of up to £300 must be enforced from the start.


The county town’s M20 junc- tions, the A20 and surrounding roads have borne the brunt of queues and hold ups at the Chan- nel ports. Bearsted, Harrietsham


drivers will not use the village’s narrow streets as a rat run, and called for effective signage. Cllr Bird questioned how freight not bound for Europe will not end up “gridlocking” Maidstone’s roads. Highways England’s Nicky Potts said those trucks will use the M20 contraflow.


He added: “I’m not confident


and Lenham have suffered unduly. Two new lorry parks at Ebbsfleet


and Ashford, as well as another being secured at Dover, are to be made available if needed, while Manston’s former airport site is in reserve.


Transport experts said there is provision to get perishable goods, such as Scottish salmon, across the Channel. In the event of coastbound queues, they would use the M20 contraflow on a special permit.


Liberal Democrat county coun-


cillor Rob Bird hopes the Govern- ment’s document-checking software will be ready so the haulage industry is prepared. Cllr Bird asked how readily Op- eration Stack would be imple- mented if the numbers exceeded 7,000 in Kent. KCC director Barbara Cooper said it is the last resort for Kent Police. Bearsted borough councillor Val Springett sought assurances HGV


there’s sufficient resilience in the structures to deal with any unfore- seen circumstances.” Critics say Operation Brock is ac-


cident-prone, while bad weather or French strikes will wipe out UK ad- vance planning. One former cross-Channel indus- try expert said: “Most freight firms using Dover are foreign and if they haven’t got the right documents first time and end up in trouble, they’ll get it right next time.”


Decision due on garden village plans


A DECISION on progressing a gar- den village at Lenham Heath will be taken by Maidstone Borough Coun- cil’s Strategic Planning and Infras- tructure Committee on November 9/10. This committee will consider the


seven proposals for garden villages (Lenham Heath, Lidsing, Marden and Leeds/Langley corridor have been recommended for further con- sideration by consultants Stantec) together with the 300-plus “call for sites” offers. The committee will decide which


sites should be included in the forth- coming consultation stage of Maid-


stone’s Local Plan Review. William Cornall, the council’s di-


rector of regeneration and place, in a report to the policy and resources committee, said the consultants cri- tiqued the Lenham Heath proposal on deliverability, employment, trans- port infrastructure, place-making and governance. But it raised weak- nesses for further exploration and evidence gathering: connectivity, the western parcels (minerals and waste water treatment plant), rela- tionship to Lenham Heath, possible expansion to the north of the rail- way line and viability/land value capture. He considered four options


in the Stantec report: l 3,000 homes if the western parcel is removed; l 4,000 homes as per the June 2020 masterplan; l 4,000 homes but with the northern parcels added to replace lost western parcel; l 4,000-plus homes if the west- ern and northern parcels feature. He hopes contracts will be signed


with development partner Homes England by next March. Small landowners in Lenham


Heath are calling on Maidstone Bor- ough Council to withdraw their land from its ill-fated Heathlands Garden


Community masterplan or face legal action. Comment, page 47


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