Calls for compensation as roadworks extended again

The A249 Grovehurst Road improvement scheme began in September 2023

Calls have been made for compensation for people impacted by a multi-million pound road improvement scheme in Kent, which has seen its completion date pushed back again.

The A249 Grovehurst Road works near Iwade, which began in September 2023, had been expected to be finished by the end of 2024, but this target date was later pushed back to June 2025, and then to 2026.

Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna and Swale Borough Council leader Tim Gibson, both from Labour, have written a joint letter to the highways authority saying the delay is "disappointing and wholly unacceptable".

Kent County Council (KCC) said complications in the planning, poor weather conditions in the early phase of the build, and works on the surrounding roads not associated with the project meant the timeline for completion had "slipped".

KCC added: "As the highways authority we face the ongoing challenge of balancing traffic flow and public safety with the need to complete these vital improvements alongside other roadworks in the area."

The politicians said their letter came about after traffic cones were reintroduced on both A249 carriageways at Iwade.

People in Kemsley and Iwade, as well as those travelling to and from Sheppey, had experienced longer travel times and higher fuel costs as a result of the works, the letter added.

It read: "The resulting overlap with the Key Street works has, at times, contributed to bringing Sittingbourne to a near standstill, costing businesses dearly.

"The potential impact of further day time closures along Swale Way is likewise causing significant concern for the knock-on effect it will have around Sittingbourne."

Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna (left) and Swale Borough Council leader Tim Gibson (right) wrote the joint letter

The letter was also signed by Kemsley ward councillors Ashley Wise, from Labour, and Derek Carnell, from The Swale Independents Alliance.

KCC said the Grovehurst Road Improvement Scheme would "unlock new homes" planned along the A249 corridor, from the junction with the M2 to the Isle of Sheppey, and increase capacity on the road.

The improvements include altering the slip and approach roads to the junction, service diversions, changing traffic signals and lighting, and major earthwork operations.

The authority had received £38.1m from the government's Housing and Infrastructure Fund to deliver highway improvements at the Grovehurst Road and Key Street junctions of the A249 to the west of Sittingbourne.

KCC said it would continue to work with its contractor and partners to explore ways to reduce future disruption.