THE controversial Inland Border facility on the former Shearings site at Appleton Thorn closed ahead of schedule last month – without so much as a whimper and to ensure value for taxpayers.
Opening amid a storm of protest from local residents and councillors in January 2020, post-Brexit, fears of hundreds of HGVs using the facility on a daily basis, never materialised.
Commenting on the closure Warrington South MP Andy Carter said: “The Inland Border Facility at Appleton Thorn was always designed to be a temporary site to assist with transition.
“There are other sites elsewhere in the UK with capacity and therefore it’s right that the Government reviews the facilities it operates.
“HMRC and Border Force resources can be better assigned to areas that are under pressure and it’s my understanding that the staff who worked at the Appleton Thorn facility are being relocated to roles elsewhere in HMRC.”
The Warrington site was one of two temporary Inland Border Facilities (IBFs) to close earlier than planned, in November 2022, along with Ebbsfleet.
It followed the closure of Birmingham and North Weald IBFs earlier this year.
IBFs allow HMRC to carry out documentation checks and physical inspections away from the UK’s busiest ports to help with the flow of goods in and out of the UK. Testing at the Sevington and Holyhead IBFs showed these two larger facilities can handle all IBF traffic without the support of the smaller sites. Therefore Ebbsfleet and Warrington IBFs closed ahead of the planned December closure date.
Claire Dartington, Director, Borders and Trade, and Senior Responsible Owner of the IBF Programme at HMRC, said at the time: “Inland Border Facilities are constantly under review to make sure they provide value for the taxpayer and meet the demands of traffic flow. We will continue to provide an excellent service and support the flow of trade through the Sevington and Holyhead IBF sites.”
There was a storm of protest two years ago when it was announced that the facility was to open at the former Shearings site at Appleton Thorn.
Warrington Borough Council received £800,000 in mitigation funding. Some of the money was used for a tree planting scheme to replace trees that had been cut down to facilitate the new facility.
While there were some early issues with staff parking on local roadways, the anticipated traffic problems from HGVs never really materialised, with little HGV activity on the site for much of the time. Its understood talks are ongoing between HMRC and Warrington Borough Council over the future use of the site.
