The UK is about to sell Brexit checkpoints redundant due to EU reset transactions

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The minister is about to sell Kent’s 1,300-truck Brexit border check facility, which will become redundant by this week’s EU trade agreement.

The government-run Border Control Point (BCP) in Sevington, Ashford, Kent, was built in 2021 to respond to truck flooding expected in the event of an unrealistic Brexit.

It handles most checks of plants and animal goods such as dairy products and meat that arrive in the UK. This is a process that will be reduced once the UK and EU reset transactions are enacted.

Three people with knowledge of the debate said that the government approached Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover about the acquisition or reuse of sites, but the debate is said to be in its early stages.

Doug Bannister, CEO of Dover Port, said the deal announced at the EU-UK summit was welcome and would facilitate the supply chain across the UK and the continent.

“Obviously there are a lot of details working on how that will be implemented and we want to continue our discussion with the government about what this means for the BCP in Sepington,” he added.

EuroTunnel did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

UK-EU deals should eventually add an extra 41 border facilities built by UK port operators at government request to accommodate post-Brexit checks.

Some port operators are demanding compensation as the “white elephant” border control post facility has spent a total of £102 million in building under the contract.

“These BCPs will survive as monuments to Ozymandan up to Brexit height,” said an executive with a port executive. “We started building them to build millions at a fierce speed, and then we were able to hire people to work within them.

Sevington is funded by a “common user fee” that applies to all commissions entering the country. The facility cost £23 million over the year ending in April 2025.

However, the total revenue generated by general user claims between May 2024 and March 2025 was just £12.58 million, according to environmental food rural (DEFRA) figures acquired by the Freight Contact Group through Freedom of Information Requests.

The landlocked border facility in Sepington near Ashford was built in 2021 and responded to truck flooding expected in the event of an unofficial Brexit©Charlie Bibby/ft.

At a committee hearing Tuesday, Emily Miles, director of Diet and BioSecurity, said the government is hoping for a “reduced number of checks” that means “decommissioning some facilities.” She added that the government still needs “where and how to cooperate.”

British government officials told supermarkets they could sign a veterinary agreement with the EU at the end of the year.

Portsmouth, a local government-owned port, was among those who said they were seeking compensation after spending £6 million in council funds on a £23 million two-acre facility that occupying the land the port wanted to use for other commercial purposes.

“However, we were expected to be able to recover costs through product claims, but if BCP is no longer used, we are looking for compensation from the government to recover from the shortage,” said Steve Pitt, Portsmouth City Council leader.

He added the facility. It was built for a highly specialized role that was under the age of 3 and makes reuse extremely difficult, but now it may need to be demolished.

UK-EU deals should add an extra 41 border facilities built by UK port operators to accommodate post-Brexit checks © Charlie Bibby/ft

The British Ports Association (BPA), a British port and port trade agency, said it estimated that in 2020 it collectively spent the construction of 41 BCPS, requested by the previous Conservative government to fully implement BREXIT.

The scheme sparked anger among port executives when it became clear that the £200 million government fund only covers two-thirds of the cost of the new BCP, leaving the port behind to get the balance.

Multiple delays to fully implement border checks on EU imports – caused by fears about government border queues and higher food prices, meaning the completed BCP remained unused for nearly two years, causing port executives to smoke about the “white elephant” project.

The facility finally opened on April 30th last year, but it has been revealed that a lot of the load is wavy as the UK’s border control computer system is only partially functional.

The BPA estimated that border post offices would cost £200,000 to stay open and said it would require compensation for BCPs built “in the direction of the government” after being elected last July.

The Cabinet Office said the government will work with the port to provide changes as seamlessly as possible.

“The government has committed in its manifesto to prevent unnecessary border checks, remove red tape from companies, and negotiate an agreement to tackle food costs.

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