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Local Transport Plan 5 - Striking the Balance | Let’s talk Kent

Tabled report added 7 October 2024.

The Transport Strategy Manager gave a presentation and drew attention to the tabled paper which had also been added to the online agenda.  He reminded the Board that the consultation ended at midnight on 8 October 2024.

Members were invited to comment.  After much discussion, Kent County Councillor Mike Whiting moved the following motion:  That the views of the Swale JTB be formally sent as a response to the consultation.  This was seconded by Councillor Karen Watson, and on being put to the vote was agreed.

The points that members of the Board wanted to be considered are set out below:

1) The Board would like the Local Transport Plan 5 (LTP5) to contain a specific aim of restoring direct train services from Sheerness to London, via Queenborough, Swale, Kemsley and Rainham, to help improve the economy of the Isle of Sheppey.

2) The Board would like the LTP5 to contain a specific aim of restoring half-hourly off-peak rail services between Sittingbourne and Sheerness to reduce reliance on car use, improve the tourist economy of the Isle of Sheppey and improve connectivity with the North Kent Mainline.

3) The Board would like the LTP5 to contain a specific aim of increasing parking capacity at Swale Station (formally Swale Halt) to provide an alternative for those who drive to Sheerness, Queenborough, Kemsley and Sittingbourne stations, where car parking is limited, and to reduce town centre congestion.

4) The Board would like the alignment of the Sheerness to Leysdown walking and cycling route within the Kent Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (KCWIP) and Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) to be altered to run from Queenborough to Leysdown, with branches via Westminster and via Halfway to connect Sheerness to the route.

5) The Board would like the LTP5 to contain a specific aim of opening up the freight rail lines into Ridham Dock and Sheerness Docks to support industrial growth in those areas and relieve traffic congestion and associated air pollution.

6) The Board feels the Draft LTP5 does not contain enough data regarding current and projected CO2 and NOX emissions and particulate air pollution across the borough and more widely in Kent to both guide broader transport policy and support suitable mitigation measures. This should be addressed.

7) The Board would like the LTP5 to contain a specific aim of improving bus services to both rural and urban communities in Swale to help ensure communities and residents were not isolated, and to improve the economic development potential of all tiers of settlement within the Borough.

8) The Board would like the LTP5 to contain clarity on KCC’s view of the desirability, or otherwise, of the completion of the Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road from Great Easthall to the Bapchild, and the creation of a new Sittingbourne Southern Relief Road from Bapchild to a new M2 motorway junction (J5a) south of the Kent Science Park.

9) The Board would like the LTP5 to contain a specific requirement to improve J7 of the M2 (Brenley Corner), east of Faversham, in line with the previous Government’s RIS3 proposals, in order to deal with future housing and economic growth locally and in Canterbury District, and future growth in international traffic via the port of Dover.

10) The Board would like the LTP5 to contain a specific aim of creating a safe cycling and walking route between Faversham and Canterbury, augmenting improvements to connectivity between Sittingbourne and Faversham.

Recommended:

(1)      That the presentation be noted and the points raised above be formally submitted as a response from the Swale JTB to the consultation.