February 12 2007: Years of Lorry Parking Hell to End?
A motion to Folkestone Town Council from Councillor Peter Gane has resulted in Kent County Council making a firm commitment to a date to resolve the long-running lorry parking problem in the Cheriton High Street lay-by opposite Tesco.
Lorries have been using the lay-by as an unofficial lorry park for some years, with the lorries engines and generators causing disturbance to residents who live by the lay-by. Litter, waste and damage to the verge are also ongoing problems.
A letter to Folkestone Town Council from Peter Raine (Kent County Council Managing Director of Environment and Regeneration) says:
"I can advise you that the outline design for the works at the Cheriton High Street / Cheriton Interchange junction has been completed and the detailed design and associated safety audit is currently underway.
"The work on the site is programmed to start during the week commencing 12 February. I would point out that this date may change slightly if other schemes finish early or overrun."
Peter Gane's motion called on Folkestone Town Council to press Kent County Council to "release funding at the earliest opportunity to allow the proposed work on the Cheriton High Street interjunction … to proceed as soon as possible to improve the quality of life of residents affected by the lorries" and was backed by the Council, including all Liberal Democrat and Cheriton Town Councillors.
The motion was a part of the ongoing campaign by the Lib Dem team over a number of years to get the lorry parking issue dealt with. The proposed works should stop lorries using the lay-by, ensuring they cannot park-up there.
Local Lib Dem campaigner Tim Prater is delighted with the news, having campaigned for years to see lorry parking stopped in that lay-by. He said:
"The Lib Dems locally have been working on this issue for years, and it's great to finally get a firm date for this problem to be dealt with. This area is simply wrong for lorry parking - it's far too close to homes and has no facilities, leading to drivers leaving mess and waste.
"As our 'Truck-off' campaign this Spring made clear, although we have campaigned to get lorry parking in Cheriton High Street stopped, we believe there should be good facilities and parking for lorry drivers. But parking by housing in Cheriton or elsewhere is not the right place, and we hope that local residents will now finally get relief from years of disturbance."
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