Plans to build a 200-space 24-hour lorry park in Kent near one of the county's motorways have been turned down.

The facility was planned for near Junction 2a of the M26 in Wrotham Heath, between Sevenoaks and West Malling.

An application was submitted by Moto to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) in November last year.

The company operates more than 50 service stations and is currently the largest motorway service operator in the UK.

The company described the park as a "secure 24-hour truck stop facility for up to 200 HGVs".

Plans showed a fenced-off section with 195 spaces for lorries, an 'amenity building' and a six-lane petrol station.

The application was refused this week by TMBC, with a decision notice stating the development would "harmfully erode the rural character and appearance of the area, and cause significant harm to the landscape setting of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)".

It mentions that "it would further conflict with the purposes of including land within the Green Belt, by encroaching into the countryside, and no very special circumstances have been demonstrated to clearly outweigh this harm".

The parking facility would have been built on 16.1 acres – or just over 12 football pitches – of green land alongside the A20 but was turned down by planning officers at the council.

It is also next to the M26, which connects the M20 and M25, and would have been accessed by a new roundabout.

The report goes onto say that the site would affect the amenity of neighbouring properties from the "overspill of headlights".

It comes as the need for greater lorry parking facilities were highlighted once again this week with the closure of the M20 between Maidstone and Hythe seeing thousands of lorries stacked up on the motorway heading to Dover. The traffic misery is estimated to last another three weeks.

Matt Boughton, leader of TMBC, shared his views in a Facebook post supporting the decision to turn down the proposals.

He said: "The application for a large HGV parking facility by Junction 2a of the M26 in Wrotham Heath has today been rejected by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.

"This would have involved a new access on to the A20 and 200 parking spaces for HGVs, as well as the service building. It would have hugely changed the character of the area.

"There are no very special circumstances which exist to justify the encroachment into the Greenbelt.

"My thanks to local councillors Robin Betts and Martin Coffin, and the TMBC planning officers, who have worked tirelessly for this outcome."

Many residents commented about their relief that the application had been refused.

One said: “My husband is a lorry driver and we live in Borough Green and he is against it, try Tollgate on the A2 and leave the green belt alone."

Another agreed, saying: “Thank you TMBC, and to all the councillors, keep on protecting our green spaces."