View of proposed upgrade and improvements to the slip roads and
junction approaches at the M2 Junction 5/A249 Stockbury Roundabout.
Public Inquiry decision announced
The Secretary of State for Transport has approved proposals from Highways England for upgrade and improvements to the M2 Junction 5/A249 Stockbury Roundabout.
Grant Shapps decision follows a consultation period for interested parties to submit objections and representations before the virtual Public Inquiry, held in November 2020. The Secretary of State ordered the Public Inquiry because of concerns and objections raised by Stockbury Parish Council, MP Helen Whately, CPRE, local business owners and the Green Party.
Upgrade and improvement proposals
Highways England's proposals show the current roundabout being replaced with a new flyover interchange to provide a free-flowing and uninterrupted link for drivers staying on the A249 to free up extra space on the Stockbury Roundabout.
Two new dedicated free-flowing slip roads will be built, with a left turn for traffic travelling from the A249 southbound to the M2 westbound and a left turn from the A249 northbound to the M2 eastbound.
Maidstone Road to the A249 Stockbury Roundabout will be closed, and Maidstone Road will be re-routed to link with Oad Street.
The existing junction of Oad Street with the A249 will be closed, with a new link provided south of the existing Oad Street to connect with the A249 Stockbury Roundabout.
Highways England says:
“The M2 Junction 5/A249 Stockbury Roundabout cannot cope with existing traffic flows. The junction is also one of the top 50 national casualty locations on England’s major ‘A’ roads and motorways.
One aim is to improve journey times. Our improvement scheme will reduce delays meaning people will have quicker and more reliable journeys.
The scheme will improve the safety of the junction for all road users. The improvements will also support economic growth as increasing capacity at the junction will support future housing and employment growth in the area.
Improving the Stockbury Interchange will bring real benefit to the drivers who use this junction daily and will improve the flow of traffic around this junction, providing a safer and more integrated network for everyone.”
Support and objections
Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson has been a campaigner for the junction upgrade gaining support from Conservative group councillors, but the controlling coalition at Swale Borough Council withdrew its financial contribution towards the junction upgrade, saying:
“Our budget is much smaller than others, and we regard it as our responsibility to support our local people with better services and facilities, whilst it is the job of Highways England and Kent Highways to facilitate improved road networks. We support their wish to improve Junction 5, but we are not handing out gratuities that should rightly be spent on Swale Council priorities.”
Campaigners for sustainable housing based on an identifiable local need fear the decision to upgrade the junction will unlock a flood of developer lead planning applications for large housing estates along the A249 corridor without supporting infrastructure resulting in the loss of many acres of valuable agricultural land and eventually putting the A249 and the other roundabouts along its length (also pencilled in for upgrades) back to being “overcapacity” again.
Stuart Jeffery, who spoke for the Green Party at the Public Inquiry strongly criticised the decision as a “climate failure” and estimates the upgrade scheme will add around 100k tonnes of CO2 annually to the atmosphere.
Road safety and going forward
Figures published by the AA have revealed the 18 miles long A249 connecting Maidstone to Sheerness to be the 9th most dangerous road in the UK.
Stockbury Parish Council says:
“We will continue to work with Kent County Council to secure funding for a bridge or signalised junction to be added to the agreed upgrade plans, to mitigate the additional dangers that the new design will cause and the years of disruption villagers face, and increased risk to life before mitigating alterations can be introduced.”
No start date has been announced for the £92 million upgrade project to begin, although works could start as early as September 2021.
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