HGV Lorry Park in AONB Refused
- steve-9494
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Cotswold AONB Refusal for HGV park
Proposals for a HGV lorry park on the A417 in the Cotswolds AONB have been refused.
The proposal was initially refused by the local council and then refused again by the independent planning inspectorate after the developers appealed .
Noteworthy in this case were the arguments put forward that are similar to the proposal in Dover.
Notably it was argued in the Cotswolds AONB that there were exceptional circumstances to satisfy para. 177 of the NPPF and justify this major development in the AONB.
The Inspector accepted that there was an identified need for the development. However, she was not satisfied that the appellant had demonstrated that the need could not be met by developing outside of the AONB, or by meeting the need in some other way.
Developing outside of the Kent Downs AONB
We know there are a range of other suitable land sites in Kent that can meet the need of the freight industry for additional lorry parking, indeed some of them have already been built at Ashford Jnc 10 M20 , Stop 24 Jnc 11 M20 , and soon to be at Wrotham M20/M26.
None of of these were built on protected AONB land
All AONB land has the highest level of protection from unsightly development and only represents less than 15% of all the land in England.
The proposed large scale 600 space HGV lorry park by GSE next to the white cliffs of Dover would be the first ever HGV lorry park ever granted permission to be built in an AONB in England.
No county or district council has ever agreed to this in the most protected landscapes such as this AONB !
This should mean something to us all ! Protected AONB landscapes count, don't destroy them !
Alternative sites for HGV truck stops already exist in Kent outside of protected landscapes
There are many sites suitable for HGV lorry parks in Kent outside of the AONB, but this developer is keen to destroy some of the most beautiful and highly protected landscapes by concreting them over !
This proposal is not supported in any way by the Government and is purely a commercial
money making venture, not taking into account the wider public interest and needs.
Sevington IBF at Ashford was built at a cost to the taxpayer of £154 million, and now has secured permanent planning permission to remain in situ.
It benefits from increased parallel trade agreements on checking goods recently negotiated between the UK and Europe, and is left half empty every day of the week. The site is now under utilised, already built and already paid for, with experienced staff and management currently working on the site.
Utilise existing lorry park sites like this more
They are already built outside sensitive AONB landscapes close to existing motorway junctions and facilities
They will be more cost effective and economically viable as they already exist.
Hougham Court Wood HGV lorry Park is illogical, costly, time consuming and just doesn't make sense for the Govt, the taxpayer like you, the environment and the freight industry keen for quick ready made existing solutions!
You Can Stop the Hougham Court Wood Lorry Park
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