Brexit: Giant lorry park branded 'concrete monstrosity'

Work began on fencing off the site near Ashford earlier this month

Work on an "emergency lorry park" in Kent to accommodate up to 10,000 vehicles bound for Europe began without the knowledge of residents.

Construction work on a site off the M20 near Ashford began earlier this month.

One resident labelled the plans "sneaky", stating she had not been told about them.

The Department for Transport said "commercial sensitivities made it impossible to consult".

The government recently acquired the 27-acre site near Ashford and there are fears it will be used to contain thousands of lorries waiting to travel to continental Europe and for border-related checks.

'Not told anything'

Carla Hopkins, who lives nearby, met Labour's Brexit spokeswoman Rachel Reeves at the site and told her that residents had had no warning about the plans.

She said: "We weren't told anything. It was sneaky.

"First we knew was the sign that went up a few weeks ago saying the footpath had been closed."

She said she is worried about the pollution the "concrete monstrosity" will cause and the loss of another piece of countryside forever.

Meanwhile, Ms Reeves said Britain is "staring down the barrel of Brexit" with only five months left until the end of the transition period.

She said: "The Government said this was going to be the easiest ever trade deal ever to negotiate.

"We're four years later [after the referendum] and we still don't have a trade deal.

"Well we are now at the end of July, we don't have a trade deal, all we have is a blueprint for a giant lorry park in the middle of Kent."

She warned that businesses were headed for "serious frictions with our trade with our nearest neighbours".

'Solve the problem'

Richard Lavender, president of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, said that from a business perspective the lorry park has "got to be" in that location because of the proximity to the motorway and junction 10a.

He added: "Somewhere we need three or four of these throughout Kent, the problem being that our infrastructure just closes down if there's a fishermen's strike in Calais; no cross-Channel ferries and things like that and we come to a grinding halt in this county every single time.

"Therefore businesses get on to me saying 'solve it, solve the problem and get these lorries off the road'."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "At the end of this year the UK will become a fully independent country and this site will form part of our ongoing plans to help ensure the free flow of freight at the border.

"While commercial sensitivities made it impossible to consult prior to acquisition of this site, a letter from Minister Rachel Maclean was hand-delivered to all properties on the perimeter earlier this month.

"We will work closely with community leaders to ensure local residents and businesses are kept informed as plans progress."