While lorry parking is not a core issue for this study it is worth summarising at least

some of the issues related to this as it is part of the port logistics chain. Suffolk

County Council, as local Highway Authority, has recently published a strategy for HGV

overnight parking on the A14 and their proposals for ‘Operation Stack’. On the A14 in

Suffolk there are three purpose built lorry parks, at Bury St Edmunds (Rougham Hill),

Nacton (Orwell Crossing) and Risby providing some 150 spaces in total. There are

also some transport café style sites close to the trunk road. To establish the capacity

requirements and ideal locations where additional lorry parks are required on the A14

in Suffolk, the County Council conducted a survey in 2006. This determined the current

parking needs by identifying the volume of HGVs parking in lay-bys, in communities

adjacent to the trunk road network, the current level of use of existing lorry parks, and

transport cafes on the trunk roads. It found that 482 vehicles park on or alongside the

A14, and with an 8% increase year on year this amounts to 563 by the end of 2008.

The shortfall on the A14 in Suffolk is therefore over 400 spaces excluding the increase

expected on the A14 following the development of Felixstowe port.

Proposals for HGV Parking along A14

Suffolk County Council has advocated to DfT that there should be a series of regular

permanent lorry facilities offering overnight parking and rest areas at intervals of

around 30 minute spacing. This is a significant issue in terms of preferred size of any

new sites. Not only would regular spacing of lorry parks enable drivers to adhere to

their driving hours regulations, but it would also enable the construction of lorry parks

of a size which would have minimal impact on the surrounding environment. The

scope to provide additional permanent lorry park spaces to meet demand is two fold.

Firstly the three current lorry parks each have potential to expand as follows:

_ Risby a planning application is already being made to increase this site from 35

to 70;

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Draft Final Report September 2008

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_ Bury St Edmunds, the site is owned by Suffolk County Council and leased to

Highways Agency. There is County Council land alongside which could be

developed, expanding the site from 28 to 56;

_ Nacton (Orwell Crossing) currently has a planning consent for 125, but it is

understood that adjacent land owned by the park landowners could be

developed to double the capacity of the site.

Collectively this would increase the current capacity of existing sites to around 250

spaces but still leave a potential shortfall of over 300 on the A14.

Secondly, working with District Planning Authorities, Suffolk County Council has

suggested a number of potential sites, including those where private developers have

expressed an interest, to be identified for consideration as site options within the

District Council Local Development Framework documents. There is the potential to

incorporate the opportunity for new container storage and warehousing with a potential

lorry parking site to ensure these activities are managed together rather than as

separate activities.

In terms of providing a permanent solution to Operation Stack, there are clear

advantages in terms of constructing a series of lorry parks alongside the A14 which

would have the capacity to cater for routine overnight and rest breaks, and Operation

Stack. A series of sites available alongside the A14, within Suffolk would offer a more

environmentally acceptable option than one large site, and address traffic congestion

issues at and east of A14/A12 Seven Hills interchange. In addition these sites should

be linked or located at the proposed container storage and warehousing facilities to

ensure the efficient use of land and overall aim to reduce greater impact on the roads.