Scotland To Build its Own Brexit Lorry Park To Avoid Port Disruption

Scotland To Build its Own Brexit Lorry Park To Avoid Port Disruption.

The Scottish government intends to set up a Dumfries and Galloway airfield as an emergency lorry park. It is hoped that it will help avoid any post-Brexit freight travel disruption between Scotland and Northern Ireland at Cairnryan port.

Hundreds of vehicles will be able to park at the Castle Kennedy airfield in Stranraer from Friday 1 January after Scotland signed a lease with the owner of Stair Estates. Lorries will face new checks on departure after the end of the Brexit transition period on Friday, which could result in vehicles being turned away if found to be non-compliant to new rules. If port capacity is too high, up to 240 vehicles would then be able to use the former military airfield.

The newly brokered deal is part of Operation Overflow, a contingency plan developed by Transport Scotland and partners including Police Scotland, P&O and Stena in case of Brexit disruption at Cairnryan ports. The airfield should help manage any queuing traffic in the area, although Michael Matheson, the Scottish Government’s Transport Secretary, said he did not expect that to happen “at this stage”.

Mr Matheson said in a statement;

“Scotland did not vote for EU exit and we regret having to prepare for it – particularly in the midst of a global pandemic. However, the Cairnryan crossings are important for Scottish exporters and the ports themselves, and are also of strategic importance to Northern Ireland, so we are taking action to protect them. At this stage, we do not expect a significant increase in traffic or delays at Cairnryan, but it is essential that we are prepared for every eventuality.

He added: “I’m pleased to confirm that working with the Local Resilience Partnership, we have agreed a contingency plan in order to minimise disruption to the local community and promote road safety.”

The announcement of the deal happened as Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove admitted that UK borders could face more disruption in January.

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