Residents from Harrietsham and Hollingbourne have told me how noise from HGVs thundering down the M20 is blighting their lives. It’s getting worse every year as freight traffic increases. I raised it with the Roads Minister when we were discussing options for Operation Stack, and now I have formally written to him asking for the road to be resurfaced.
In his reply, he told me that parts of the M20 are due to be resurfaced, but not the section between junctions 8 and 9, which most affects Harrietsham. Instead, this part of the network will be ‘retextured’, which will improve safety but have little or no impact on noise. I was disappointed by the Minister’s response and I’m writing back to him to urge the Government to reconsider.
The roadworks, which are part of the Government’s plan to invest £15.2 billion in Britain’s roads by the end of the decade, are scheduled to take place between 2017 and 2019, subject to the availability of funding.
Kent MPs lobbied hard for a solution to Operation Stack and we got £250 million for a lorry park. One reason we got the funding was that the Government recognised Kent’s roads are bearing the burden of increases in freight as the economy grows. For the same reason, I want to get funding for re-surfacing. Just like with Operation Stack, people have been putting up with this for years, and it’s time to get it sorted out.
