The boss of one of the UK’s largest transportation firms has questioned a plan to close a well-used lorry park and replace it with fewer spaces at a new motorway service station.
Ken Devereux, whose firm employs nearly 170 staff and has a fleet of 90 tractor units, 20 rigid trucks and in excess of 260 trailers, said calls for Richmondshire District Council to conduct a thorough examination as to the need, possible improvement or the consequences of removing the facility at Colburn were “very sensible”.
The call came as the authority announced it had postponed a decision upon whether to sell the site off Catterick Road, which can accommodate in excess of 50 lorries a night, to Colburn Town Council for just £7,000 on the condition that it is only used for a community-related purpose, such as a skate park.
The town council wants to close the lorry park following complaints about it being used as an open toilet. There are mounting concerns over the lack of lorry parking spaces in North Yorkshire and the town council has said the Colburn closure would only be after Roadchef opened a proposed 40-space HGV park beside junction 52 of the A1(M).
The sale was set to be considered by the council’s Corporate Board, chaired by the authority’s leader, Councillor Angie Dale, who is also chairman of Colburn Town Council.
A district council spokeswoman said the full council would consider the plan in December.
She added: “It has been decided that because it is a significant asset of the council, all members should be able to debate it and make the decision on whether to accept a lower valuation for community purposes.”
While Richmondshire council says the lorry park had operated for a number of years with the initial intent of “providing parking for lorry drivers local to the area”, Mr Devereux said lorry park provision must be for visiting vehicles as any local vehicles should be positioned within the transport operators’ designated parking facility.
He added: “Motorway services are fine for lorry drivers taking statutory mid-shift breaks, but are not ideal for overnight parking as all trucks are placed in one area and drivers having 45-minute breaks and drivers overnighting are all parked together so an unbroken overnight rest is unlikely.
“It’s why in France and Germany you see specific areas along their motorways for resting trucks and it’s why you find trucks overnighting in industrial estates that are quiet at night.”
He said there was a greater need for overnight lorry parking spaces in the region as it is not in the middle of the country, meaning many drivers can’t make it home in a working shift.
Mr Devereux said: “Truck drivers have like many other workers been working right through the lockdown period, often being unable to obtain hot food from their normal sources which have been closed. Yet they have continued to deliver and collect goods in areas such as the North-East for consumption and use by the people of the North-East, even local Richmondshire councillors.”
The Road Haulage Association is campaigning for all large-scale commercial developments to have truck parking provision included as a requirement of the permission to develop, something Mr Devereux says Richmondshire councillors should be advocating.
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I question your statement that the Colburn lorry park holds 50 trucks, no way! I believe it’s capacity is 16.
I don’t think the lorry park should be closed there should be a porta potty or something there at the back so the lorry drivers have somewhere to go and there is no public toilets in colburn so they have to resort to doing it by the side of there lorry’s so I think they should at least try putting a toilet there for a couple weeks and then come to a conclusion then if they should close it but you also have to think about the lorry drivers and how they are moving around the country to supply shops and make sure people don’t get hungry. If you close the lorry park and we have no deliveries might as well stay in lockdown
I have stopped here before, my guess is about 20, its a good spot, helps out local shops that are just over the road, problem is there are no toilet facilities nearby. It also used as a meeting point for anti social groups more often than not which doesn’t help. Closing the park will not solve the problem, it just moves it along.
I cant believe they are even considering this were are we meant to go,if you want food and clothes etc on your shelves we need to park somewhere,also they should provide toilets what we meant to do for 11 hours hold it in,this country is a disgrace the way we as truckers are treated,there put yellow lines on industrial estates so they can fine you,they charge £28 to park on services(to sleep in your own truck mind)and council’s are trying to close truckstops we go we go??
Need to be more like the French truckers who will bring the country to their knees if they are wronged .Both Govt and Employers treat them like shite no wonder we rely on foreign labour .Who in right mind would say I ” want to be a trucker in UK?
It’s about time truckers stuck together in this country and make the public aware of how much they need us instead of treating us like animals
It’s about time truckers stuck together in this country and make the public aware of how much they need us instead of treating us like animals
This countries a disgrace when it comes to trucks ,facilities and parking…..no other country in the world charges for truck parking…toilets and hot food are a must!!!….councils need bringing to book,trucks are the only way goods can be delivered and always will be……its foreign drivers that are fouling parking areas as theyre not taught in theyre countries how to ablute hygeinically….also.truck manufacturers are still not fitting sleeper trucks with chemical toilets under passenger seat…..we re still in the dark ages !!!! Also truck drivers are still not being paid enough to care.wages are 30 yrs old .we should be taking home a grand a week.shame on greedy bosses….
Provide lorry drivers with decent facilities in a properly maintained lorry park , they do an essential job and should be respected for what they do .
I think its time some of these idiots that make these decisions should go and spend a month in a sleeper truck ,trying to find somewhere clean and safe to sleep.without us ,no one would enjoy the lives they have.its time truckers were looked after,not frowned upon.