Kent could soon see a network of small truckstops after a revision of government policy.

That is the claim by Canterbury-based Clague Architects following the publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The government announcement gives stronger planning support for truckstops - seen as a way of easing the problem of HGVs parking on the county's roadsides and industrial estates.

It comes less than a week after Ashford Borough Council voted unanimously to double the size of the Ashford International Truckstop at Waterbrook, near junction 10 of the M20 to provide space for 650 vehicles.

Karl Elliott, managing partner at Clague, which worked on the Ashford designs, said: “The Department for Transport has acknowledged there’s an under supply of secure parking for HGVs in Kent – a position also recognised by the county and district councils.

“We can expect to see developers working with other local authorities to bring forward new facilities.”

The revised NPPF calls for planning policy and decisions to recognise the importance of providing adequate overnight lorry parking facilities, taking into account any local shortages, to reduce the risk of parking in locations that lack proper facilities or could cause a nuisance.

Mr Elliott added: “The key lessons from the failed proposals for the lorry park at Stanford on the M20 are to ensure the scale of any plans don’t dominate the landscape and have community support.

“There is a growing consensus that Kent needs a network of secure parking for HGVs, open 24 hours a day, to meet the ever-increasing number of vehicles coming through the Channel ports.

“Offering capacity of 250-plus vehicles, these new lorry parks would be best located near to areas with high levels of HGV traffic, such as Dartford, Medway and Swale, keeping them away from Dover and Folkestone.”