New lower Thames crossing near Gravesend

New lower Thames crossing near Gravesend

Jamie Weir, PR & Events Manager, Protect Kent

Following on from a packed meeting at Higham on Wednesday where over 500 people crowded in to hear about the prospects for a new lower Thames crossing near Gravesend, campaigners Protect Kent have written to Paul Carter, leader of Kent County Council, to request an early meeting to discuss our plans for a permanent solution to Operation Stack.

We will also be discussing other traffic issues affecting Kent, raising our concerns that the prospects for the future management of traffic in Kent do not take into account the broader principles of sustainability.

Our solution for the disruption caused by Operation Stack would be to reconsider the contribution of the Port of Dover itself to the growing amount of freight traffic on Kents roads, and its responsibility for the congestion that is caused periodically. A planning application to construct extended port facilities at Dover is already under consideration; we consider that it would take very little extra construction work to reclaim an area of land in the channel following the precedent set by Samphire Hoe to create sufficient parking for 5000-6000 HGVs, freeing the M20 from the burden of Operation Stack and allowing the rest of Kent to go about its business unhampered by delays at the channel crossings.

For more information:

http://www.protectkent.org.uk/

Protect Kent (The Kent Branch of CPRE)

Queens Head House

Ashford Road

Charing

Ashford

Kent

TN27 0AD

Telephone: 01233 714540