Major Truckstop Proposed To Serve Cross-Channel Ports

A major new lorry park to serve freight traffic passing through the Port of Dover that could boost the town’s economy could be on the horizon, after a Kent-based developer unveiled its plans.

Situated on the A20 at the Court Wood Interchange and the last junction on the A20 approach to Dover, the project offers 24/7 secure parking for 600 HGVs and high-quality welfare facilities for their drivers. It is being promoted by GSE Group, which also operates the award-winning Ashford International Truckstop, located at junction 10 on the M20 and the largest of its kind in Europe.

In 2024 the Port of Dover, the UK’s busiest roll-on/roll-off port, handled 2.1 million HGVs, equivalent to 5,930 per day. The proposed new truckstop could provide parking for approximately 10% of the port’s daily traffic within five miles of boarding the ferries and will support the Port of Dover’s 2050 masterplan which could facilitate a 20% increase in the value of trade handled at the Port.

The proposed 70-acre site can be safely accessed by HGVs travelling coast-bound or London-bound. While benefitting from its close proximity to the Port of Dover, it is also only eight miles from the Eurotunnel terminal.

Lorry drivers are required by law to take regular rest breaks, designed to prevent accidents due to fatigue, making the availability of good quality lorry parks essential for minimising the knock-on effects of crashes.

The lack of secure HGV parking is an acknowledged national issue, with the situation critical in Kent. This has often led to inappropriate lorry parking, the damaging effects of which are felt by residents and businesses – noise and air pollution from refrigeration units, anti-social behaviour and littering, road safety impacts, and damage to verges and kerbs which have been experienced by the communities within the M20/A20 corridor.

Darrell Healey, Chairman of GSE Truckstop Developments, said: “The site offers a once in a generation opportunity to provide best-in-class HGV welfare facilities right on the doorstep of England’s busiest port. It would make a significant contribution towards keeping Dover clear of disruption. By helping to meet the critical shortfall for cross-Channel freight parking along the in Kent, it will tackle improve the daily experience of residents and visitors to Dover and Folkestone in particular.”

The proposed GSE truckstop has the ability to play a major role in taking substantial volumes of inappropriately parked lorries off local estate roads and laybys and improving resilience both locally and county-wide, especially during times of severe disruption, such as bad weather or industrial disputes.

Darrell Healey added: “By providing secure parking and better welfare facilities for drivers, we would be tackling HGV-related crime in Kent and anti-social illegal overnight parking, which also costs the public purse. However, we must also recognise these drivers are themselves in need of safe, secure facilities and Ashford International Truckstop demonstrates that we put driver welfare at the heart of what we do.

“Alongside our proposals, we welcome the ongoing work of the Port of Dover to enhance the port’s resilience, increase capacity for HGVs, and remove the bulk of occasions when it would previously have been necessary to implement the socio-economically damaging Operation TAP. We aim to complement the Port’s wider 2050 strategy, by improving the experience of those visiting the town”

Alongside the Port of Dover’s plans, additional freight parking capacity on the strategic road network will play a vital role in providing future resilience in times of disruption and growing volumes of freight.

Locally, the scheme is predicted to create 100 new jobs for the area, with the truckstop designed to offer modern driver facilities, including a restaurant, shop, gym, shower and toilets, as provided at GSE’s Ashford International Truckstop down the M20 at junction 10. The building has been designed to integrate with the local landscape with new hedgerow and woodland planting mitigating its visual impact.

Commenting on the proposals, Doug Bannister, CEO, Port of Dover, added: “We welcome GSE’s plans to significantly increase the number of secure HGV parking spaces so close to the port. Our freight customers have told us that the proximity of parking to the port is crucial to their operations and wellbeing of their drivers.

“GSE’s proposal is consistent with our plans to help improve the experience of travelling through the port and to be a good neighbour to the residents of Dover in line with our 2050 Strategy.”

The Port of Dover’s outbound control project will create more capacity within the port, and improve fluidity for HGVs with the aim of removing the need to implement Operation TAP, which sees up to 500 HGVs parked on the inside lane of the A20. Starting at the Aycliffe roundabout close to the Port, Operation TAP was implemented on 137 days during 2024. 

The site’s proximity to the Port of Dover means the GSE team is confident it would prove popular for drivers with scheduled departures aiming to get as close to the Port as possible, as well as those who have just arrived in the country but need to comply with their tachographs.

The project will be the subject of a public consultation programme in December before a planning application is submitted and considered by Dover District Council.

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