THE RHA is calling on ministers to cut the red tape surrounding planning rules on new truck stops so that HGV drivers can have greater access to safe and secure roadside facilities, writes Carol Millett.
The association is lobbying for reform to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to make it easier for developers to get permission to build new lorry parking facilities, and proposed that the NPPF should be amended to reflect the demand for lorry parking and to define driver welfare as a priority.
The association calculated a shortage of 11,000 overnight lorry parking spaces across the country, forcing truckers to park in laybys and industrial estates without access to toilets, washing facilities and food.
Currently local planning authorities assess new planning applications for truck stops in line with clause 109, which states: ‘Planning policies and decisions should recognise the importance of providing adequate overnight lorry parking facilities, taking into account any local shortages, to reduce the risk of parking in locations that lack proper facilities or could cause a nuisance’.
RHA argued that this clause is too narrowly drafted for it to be fit for purpose.
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