Emergency Brexit Lorry-Park Planning Permission Granted For Much Of East Sussex

Friday, 4 September 2020 14:31

By John Warburton @Warblefly

East Sussex, with county town Lewes shown (Map: contributors to OpenStreetMap / Creative Commons)

Almost everywhere in East Sussex outside the South Downs National Park now has emergency government planning permission, to hold a post-Brexit lorry park for trucks leaving or arriving in the country.

The government gave itself planning permission yesterday (September 3), when it laid before Parliament the new rules, a form of legislation known as a Statutory Instrument.

In the text of the new rules, it's made clear that the purpose of any lorry parks built in this way is to allow border checks on goods and vehicles leaving the UK for other countries including those in the EU, and for examinations and checks on goods and vehicles coming into this country.

The law also says that, although local opinions about the siting of any truck processing areas will be collected, the decision on whether or not to build a lorry park is that of the government.

But not everywhere in East Sussex can be tarmaced.

Anywhere inside the South Downs National Park is excluded from yesterday's order, along with battlefields, land of special historic or scientific interest, scheduled monuments and World Heritage sites.

The order is temporary: land that is used for lorry parks must exited by 31 December 2025, with the land re-instated to something approaching its previous condition a year later.

There's no information yet on any precise locations, or whether a truck processing facility will be requested at all.

The government said:

"This Special Development Order is an important component of the Government’s preparations for an orderly transition to the new system of controls to secure the border of Great Britain from 1 January 2021.

"This will require building new border facilities in Great Britain for carrying out required checks, such as customs compliance, transit, and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) checks.

"While port operators would normally provide the border facilities, there is limited space for the new facilities at some ports.

"Additionally, the Government is aware that the impact of coronavirus may have affected the ability of port operators and businesses to provide the necessary infrastructure by the end of the year."

It continued:

"The integrity of the border is essential for the security of the UK and one of the primary defences against a range of threats.

"It is also used to enforce international sanctions and embargoes, supporting the UK’s foreign policy and national security objectives.

"Where there is limited space at ports for new infrastructure, the Government will provide new inland sites where checks and other border processes will take place."