Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 July 2026

Letter from the Chair to the Transport Secretary relating to HGV driver facilities for Lower Thames Crossing, dated 15 July 2026

Summary

The Transport Committee Chair writes to the Transport Secretary expressing disappointment that the Lower Thames Crossing scheme excludes HGV driver rest and service facilities, despite the Department's stated commitments to improve driver facilities and evidence of a national shortage of 11,000 parking spaces. The letter requests clarification on the Department's approach to driver facilities in major road schemes and the decision-making process that led to removing the service area.

Key findings

The Transport Secretary stated there is 'no requirement' to include a rest and service area in the Lower Thames Crossing, and initial plans were removed following consultation.
The Committee has heard extensive evidence from Logistics UK, Transport Focus, the Road Haulage Association, Moto Hospitality, and Unite the Union documenting driver challenges accessing suitable rest facilities and parking.
The Road Haulage Association identified an estimated shortage of 11,000 HGV parking spaces nationally, forcing drivers to park in unsafe or unsuitable locations.
The Committee's predecessor report found many drivers' facilities are unfit for purpose and building new service areas constitutes a 'tortuous process'.
The National Planning Policy Framework requires planning policies to recognise the importance of adequate overnight lorry parking facilities; the Committee questions whether removing facilities from a government-promoted scheme sets an appropriate example for developers and local authorities.

Tone

Critical

Topics

transport-infrastructurelogisticsdriver-welfareplanning-policyroad-freight

Key actors

Ruth Cadbury MP, Heidi Alexander MP, Transport Committee, Road Haulage Association, Logistics UK, Transport Focus, Moto Hospitality, Unite the Union

Notable line

“I am therefore disappointed that a rest and service area has not been included in a scheme of this size …”

Key Quotes

“… there is "no requirement" to include a rest and service area for drivers as part of the LTC scheme”
— Heidi Alexander MP · on the absence of driver facilities in the Lower Thames Crossing

“I am therefore disappointed that a rest and service area has not been included in a scheme of this size, especially given your Department's commitments to increase parking capacity and improve drivers' facilities”
— Ruth Cadbury MP · expressing the Committee's concern about the exclusion of facilities

“… there is an estimated shortage of 11,000 HGV parking spaces nationally”
— Road Haulage Association · quantifying the national parking capacity deficit

“Planning policies and decisions should 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.”
— National Planning Policy Framework · setting the planning framework expectation for HGV facilities

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗