Kent County Council is asking people to respond to the Local Transport Plan 5, which is out for consultation until 8th October.

The Local Transport Plan will help KCC make the case to secure funding needed for roads and public transport to cope with the pressures of today’s traffic and growth. It is estimated that an extra £2.6 – £3.1 billion will be needed from government to deliver all of the proposed transport improvements for which KCC is responsible, over the next 12 years.

This consultation on the draft full Local Transport Plan is seeking feedback from residents, businesses and stakeholders to help finalise the plan. This includes the opportunity to let KCC know your views on the full range of countywide strategic schemes and local schemes set out for each district.

In relation to Canterbury’s draft Local Plan and site C12, people should highlight:

• That the highways network would be severely impacted by this large car-dependent development.

• That National Highways responded to the draft Local Plan saying “As matters stand, it is far from clear whether the proposals at Harbledown could be deliverable in theory or in practice” – referring to the A2 sliproads that have been proposed.

• That Rough Common road would need to be turned into a trunk road to support the construction traffic and then the residents’ traffic generated by site C12, which would completely destroy the character of the village.

Residents can find the full plan and consultation questionnaire at www.kent.gov.uk/ltp5. Details of drop-in events to find out more about the plan will be found here.

The consultation closes on 8 October 2024.

KCC is also running a set of surveys on National Highways and Transport…

There are six independent surveys in total – feel free to take one or all of them. Each survey will take a few minutes of your time. They’re asking for your views on: walking and cycling, accessibility, highways maintenance, public transport, road safety, tackling congestion.

In relation to Canterbury’s draft Local Plan and site C12, you should make sure to mention:

• how regularly you use the bus to get into Canterbury from one of the northern villages, and how likely you are to switch to bus in order to travel from this kind of location outside the city envelope.
• how regularly you walk or cycle into Canterbury from one of the northern villages, and how likely you are to switch to active travel options given the hills and distance into the town centre.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve only just moved to the area, or if you don’t pay Council Tax, Kent County Council wants to hear from a wide range of people. Click on the icons on this page of their website to take part.