Plans for a 115-space truck stop near to the Channel Tunnel terminal will be considered by councillors tomorrow evening.

Logistics firm Motis has applied for permission for the HGV facility along with six commercial units and an extension to its existing business centre south of the M20 on Cheriton High Street in Folkestone.

Officers have recommended that members of the Folkestone and Hythe District Council planning and licensing committee reject the plans when they consider them at 7pm.

They note the site is allocated for approximately 65% of the town's total office supply, and there is "insufficient evidence supplied to adequately establish that there is an overwhelming need for additional HGV parking" in the district.

There are also concerns about "whether the development will result in any ecologically significant nitrogen deposition" which would impact a nearby site of special scientific interest.

The proposals submitted by Motis outline an additional 555 sq m of office space on the first floor of the existing business centre.

On the ground floor there would be a gym, nursery and cafe - all open to the general public but most likely used by employees of firms located on the site.

The western section of the site has been earmarked for the the lorry park, providing 115 truck spaces for overnight stays arranged over three rows, and a two-storey drivers' lounge and amenity building at the centre of the park.

"The proposed development will deliver some very significant benefits to the local community through the delivery of a truck stop and in making a significant contribution to employment land supply through the provision of additional commercial floorspace," the planning statement submitted in support of the plans concludes.

Members of the planning committee will consider the plans, and the recommendation that they be rejected, at their meeting tomorrow night.