More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Residents living next door to a Brexit lorry park claim border staff are violating their promise to be "good neighbours" after reports of anti-social parking and behaviour.
A 24 hour inland border facility opened at Ebbsfleet International Station on January 1 as a "last resort" for truckers travelling to Europe.
It is one of seven custom check points which are being used by the government to ensure all lorries are "border ready" before heading to the ports.
However, despite assurances from HMRC that they will be a "good neighbour" local councillors and residents in Kent's new garden city estate say this promise has already been broken just a few weeks into the new year.
Photos taken in Castle Hill show staff parking at the busy Whitecliffe Road junction, across pavements and on private plots of land.
It is also alleged workers have been verbally abusing residents, discarding rubbish from vehicles and urinating in the street.
Ebbsfleet councillor Sacha Gosine (Lab) has previously spoken out against the lorry park which he claims is a "logistical nightmare", adding to a host of existing traffic and pollution problems.
Commenting on the recent reports of anti-social parking, he said: "Part of the good neighbour agreement was that lorries and such wouldn't affect the residents.
"These cars are parked on grounds residents pay a service charge to maintain."
There are approximately up to 140 staff expected on site working across different shift patterns with "parking provisions and welfare facilities provided for them onsite", according to HMRC's inland border facilitates' website.
But such on-site staff parking allocations have fallen short of what is required and fees at the adjacent Ebbsfleet International Station car park cost between £10.50 and £11.70 a day.
In the absence of suitable parking staff are said to be pulling up across pavements and leaving cars on private plots of land.
Fellow Ebbsfleet councillor Danny Nicklen (Con) says both himself and Cllr Gosine have been engaging with the site manager and the relevant bodies to get the matter resolved.
Cllr Nicklen added they had been very cooperative and had ensured them both they would be briefing staff on their expectations moving forward.
He also confirmed the council's own parking manager had been "very proactive" in reviewing the existing traffic regulation order (TRO) for Whitecliffe Road and had identified and fast tracked changes where needed.
The site location at Car Park D, which had previously operated as a Covid testing centre, has space for up to 256 HGV spaces.
According to HMRC lorry movements are limited to a maximum of 99 per hour between 11pm and 7am.
During this time staff carry out a range of activities including physical checks and inspections related to the "Prioritisation of Goods" process to ensure cargos carrying perishable items don't miss deadlines.
But despite assurances the situation is improving some residents are not convinced and continue to flag problems.
Castle Hill resident Fraser Ross says many residents expressed their disapproval during public consultation and were promised a point of contact to voice concerns but this has not materialised.
He said: "In addition to their mortgage or rent, residents pay service charges to live in the ‘garden city’ only to have their parking spaces taken up by staff of the facility.
"HMRC has arranged a free shuttle bus but I believe staff still have to pay to park which is ludicrous considering the site is operating on in a carpark.
"Lorries have also been parking in residential areas which they don’t have permission to enter and this has caused obstructions to traffic and increased pollution.
"Some residents have even seen staff urinating on the pavement next to their cars as well as using the road as a rubbish bin.
Mr Ross says residents have also contacted their local Dartford MP Gareth Johnson who sought assurances in Parliament local roads would not be congested with lorries.
He added: "Residents feel they should be compensated for this as when they bought their homes they were promised a garden city, not a hub for HGVs which will lower house prices."
Another resident who moved to the Castle Hill from nearby Greenhithe two and a half years ago, says she was drawn to the area because of its garden city status.
But the mum-of-two, who did not wish to be named, fears the parking problems are just the start of many.
"The whole thing is a complete mess," she said. "If I drove onto this estate and there was all numbers and colours of cars parked all over the place – what sort of place does this look like?"
The Castle Hill resident says parking has made the roads dangerous for young children amid an increase in lorries using the facility.
"It is like having a supermarket with no car park," she adds. "I thought there was going to be a number of lorries and thought this was going to be okay.
She added: "It is going to be carnage when we get out life back."
Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, the planning authority responsible for the 15,000 homes earmarked for the garden city, has also sought a response on behalf of angry residents.
Ian Piper, chief executive of EDC, said: “The issues have been raised with us by residents and we have taken up the matter with HMRC and we are liaising with local councillors in the process.”
Dartford Council leader Jeremy Kite commented to say it needed to be "nipped in the bud" so issues inconvenient to neighbours "don’t become the norm, less still expand".
Together with Cllr Nicklen and Cllr Gosine, the Tory leader said they had arranged to meet with HMRC virtually next week to resolve complaints and reaffirm promises made to residents on behalf of the border agency.
HMRC has made a commitment to provide a number of extra staff parking spaces at the facility to meet the number needed.
It is understood further onsite spaces are to be made available to staff from mid to late February following completion of further building work at the site.
A HMRC spokesperson said: “We are aware of a small number of issues with parking around the Ebbsfleet Inland Border Facility.
“We are in discussion with the site manager and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible to prevent further disruption to residents.
"We have already provided a free private bus service for staff and have extended staff parking to reduce disruption, however we will continue working to address concerns.
“If anyone has any concerns about how the site is operating, we would encourage them to contact us at: complaints.ebbsfleetibf@hmrc.gov.uk.”
