What future for independent truckstops?
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THE OWNER OF Portsmouth Truckstop has warned that the independent truckstop operator is a dying breed at the mercy of decisions by local councils.
David O'Donnell believes that most councils simply do not want LGVs on their patch. His latest setback was being turned down for an application to renew his lease for a much-needed overspill parking site from December last year.
At the moment Portsmouth Truckstop, based in a city with an international ferry port, can only accommodate about 30 trucks on its main site. This includes vehicles from account customers like the Co-op. The independent truckstop operator will soon be a thing of the past," O'Donnell warns. "In a few years' time we'll be lucky if we have a dozen in the UK."
However, Portsmouth City Council insists that it is considering three possible locations for a truckstop; it has also been in talks with the Road Haulage Association about the situation.
The council's Terry Kean, who has a remit to look into the parking problem, says that there is no quick fix: 'This isn't an overnight process. We're looking at land that the council already owns -but of course facilities will need to be added like showers, toilets and restaurants."