CONCERNS have been raised for the future of a lorry park in North Yorkshire’s fastest growing town, following a wave of complaints over it being used as an open toilet.

Senior figures on Richmondshire District Council have signalled their appetite to battle to retain or sell the authority’s facility, near Colburn Medical Centre, off Catterick Road in Colburn, after it emerged talks were being held over selling it to Colburn Town Council.

The concerns come five months after the town council approved a request to the district council for ownership of the lorry park, to give long-term security to the area for community use.

The Road Haulage Association has said more rather than less facilities are needed for drivers in North Yorkshire, while other industry bodies have pointed to the limitations on driving time and the work drivers do.

Initially, the district council had offered both The Broadway car park and the lorry park at a peppercorn transfer cost, but at the time the town council “felt they could only manage the car park”.

As development within the ward has moved on at pace, councillors have said the lorry park is no longer suitable at that site.

A meeting of the council’s corporate board heard a valuation of the site was being sought as the town council had a long-held ambition to buy the lorry park – close to the town’s employment areas of Walkerville Industrial Estate and Easton Way.

Colburn Town Council is well represented on the district authority, with its chairman Councillor Angie Dale also the district council’s leader, another member, Councillor Helen Grant, as deputy leader of the district council, as well as having Councillor Kevin Foster sitting on both authorities.

Colburn ward member Cllr Dale told the corporate board meeting it was becoming increasingly noticeable that while the lorry park was advertised as only taking 12 to 14 lorries, a recent evening survey she had conducted had found more than 50 lorries parked elsewhere.

Echoing concerns that have been raised in areas surrounding industrial estates at Leeming Bar and Thirsk where Hambleton District Council has launched or is set to launch Public Space Protection Orders, Cllr Dale said the Colburn facility had no toilet, leading to the town council being inundated with complaints about human faeces.

She said: “I have really strong views on the lorry park. I will battle my corner when it comes to it as I am sure that everybody else would because it causes a lot of environmental problems throughout the town.”

However, the district council’s former leader, Councillor Yvonne Peacock, said she wanted the issue to be thoroughly examined before any final decisions were made, as lorries “need to park somewhere”. Cllr Peacock said: “I know this has been on the cards many times, but I’m a little bit concerned about disposing of the lorry park.” Cllr Richard Ormston added: “There’s very little parking at the moment and it will only get much worse until we find some other much larger lorry park within Colburn.”