Kent County Council (KCC) had been made aware of secret plans to build a giant post-Brexit lorry park in Ashford prior to last Friday, a transport boss has said.

Cllr Michael Payne (Con), the cabinet member for highways at Maidstone County Hall, revealed that confidential talks had been held between KCC and the Department for Transport (DfT).

Work has already started on the clearance site amid a potential fallout from EU trade talks in December. It will be based at a 27-acre spot near Junction 10a of the M20.

KCC's environment and transport committee met yesterday and several members pressed Cllr Payne on the issue.

KCC's Green Party leader Martin Whybrow said: "Ashford Borough Council, residents and the local MP seem very much to have been kept in the dark about this."

Cllr Payne, of Tonbridge, said: "Consultation started with the DfT only last weekend with external parties.

"We were aware of some of their intentions prior to that and until they had acquired the site, which only took place this week, we weren't aware of their intentions in full."

Ashford county councillor Cllr Dara Farrell (Lab), a member of the committee, later expressed his dissatisfaction with the response.

Ashford Borough Council were given a few hours' notice of the project ahead of the government announcement.

During the virtual public meeting, Cllr Farrell, also a borough councillor, said: "The cabinet member suggested there had been some consultation in the last week.

"I'm slightly concerned that work started yesterday on this site, so could he expand slightly more on what consultation there has been and implications for KCC as a highways authority?

"When there are issues on junction 8 and 9, all of the lorries will trundle through my division."

When completed, the MOJO site will be used as a temporary holding area for lorries if there is disruption at Dover and as a location for border-related checks.

Cllr Payne described the situation as "complicated" and KCC's corporate director for highways, Simon Jones, downplayed the level of activity which had taken place earlier this week.

He said: "The works that commenced yesterday were nothing more than breaking ground and getting that site prepared.

"Conversations continue with the DfT about our ongoing role."

Calls were then made by Cllr Farrell, who is also KCC's Labour Group leader, for Ashford's 47 councillors to receive a briefing in the near future. Mr Jones agreed to do so to ensure "full disclosure" for all elected members.

Whitehall chiefs will not need to submit a planning application to Ashford Borough Council. Instead, a Special Development Order (SDO) will be used, which allows the Secretary of State to grant planning permission.

KCC's corporate director Barbara Cooper told the committee that the plans represented a "worse case" scenario amid the UK-EU trade talks set to end this December.

Concluding, she said: "We do hope they do not materialise but we do have to be well prepared."

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