Planning application sent for £150m lorry park and 400 houses at Waterbrook in Ashford

Developers have unveiled a multi-million pound scheme which is set to create hundreds of jobs.GSE Group Ltd has revealed the plan for the Waterbrook site to the east of Ashford, off the A2070 trunk road.It will include a new international lorry park to provide spaces for 600 vehicles to stay overnight, more than double the size of the current site, in a bid to curb the problem of trucks parking up around housing estates and lay-bys.There will also be space for business development on the 140-acre site, which will include the new headquarters for GSE, and offices for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.It will also include a Jaguar Land Rover dealership and commercial premises which could create a total of 750 jobs.Meanwhile in once the truck stop is complete, work would then start on the construction of a further 400 houses, which would link into the Orbital Park roundabout on the A2070.The masterplan for the £150 million site has now been submitted to Ashford Borough Council’s planning department.It will include a 13-acre park to separate the housing estate from the lorry park, and a further 25 acres will be left undeveloped in a bid to boost wildlife.The outline planning application has been submitted to Ashford Borough Council’s planning officers, who are expected to produce a report by Tuesday, April 17.To view the plans online visit the planning section at www.ashford.gov.uk and search for reference 18/00098/AS.