Landowners in close proximity to motorways are being encouraged to submit proposals for secure truck stops.
Plans for truckstops, comprising parking spaces, showers and dining facilities, as well as extensions to existing sites, will now be welcomed by local authorities for consideration.
Proposals can be drawn up and submitted following confirmation by the Department for Transport that it will allow the development of truck stops on the UK’s motorway network.
Developing a lorry park would provide an extra revenue stream for farming landlords, said Stephen Rice, partner at property consultant Fisher German.
He added: “Alternatively, there are existing truck stop operators who are also looking for new sites, for which they would either take a lease or enter into a joint venture arrangement. I can see this being a big opportunity for landlords.”
A spokesman for Orwell Crossing Lorry Park, which owns a 696,960 sq ft site in Ipswich, Suffolk, said: “Landowners with space that can be accessed directly from the motorway would do well to lease to truck stop operators, keen to offer not just lorry parking spaces, but also land for car parking and truck washing.”
The Midlands and the South East have been single out as regions where there is a greater demand for secure lorry parking.
The government’s acceptance of more facilities is in response to pressure from the Highways Agency and drivers. It has been argued that lorry drivers are being forced to sleep in lay-bys and therefore being exposed to crime, owing to a shortage of secure parking facilities.
joanna.bourke@estatesgazette.com
