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DfT searched high and low for lorry space
[ January 7, 2016 // Chris ]A measure of the desperation faced during Operation Stack last summer is reflected in the list of sites for emergency lorry parking considered by the Department for Transport.
According to the Kent Messenger, the list of possible sites has just been released to the media under the Freedom of Information Act.
The disused airport at Manston was eventually selected as an emergency lorry park but the shortlist included the car park at Ebbsfleet Eurostar station, former army bases at Folkestone, Canterbury and Chattenden, the Port of Ramsgate and even Kenley Aerodrome in the Surrey hills, accessible only narrow country lanes and over 50 miles from Dover.
Ebbsfleet Station was ruled out because entrances to the station car park were not wide enough. Lodge Hill Camp at Chattenden and a site at the Port of Ramsgate were rejected because of the risk of unexploded bombs. Another concern were seagulls, who could have been attracted to food waste and cause a nuisance to the local population.
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/folkestone/news/operation-stack-temporary-lorry-parks-48796/