Shorncliffe Barracks Redevelopment: KCC demand more information on Horn Street Bridge

Kent County Council Highways department have demanded more detailed information about projected traffic around Horn Street bridge as part of the Shorncliffe Barracks planning application, or have threatened to reccommend opposing approval of the application.

In a letter to Shepway Development Control on 10 December Kent Highways say they need to see much more detailed traffic projections before they could accept the development, saying the submitted information is "not satisfactory". They've placed a "holding objection" on the development until more information is provided, and if it is not say they would recommend refusal.

KCC's position is a vindication of campaigners across Sandgate, Cheriton, Folkestone and Hythe who have been demanding the widening of Horn Street bridge as a pre-condition of the development at Shorncliffe.

Sandgate Councillor Tim Prater says:

"We've been saying for years that the bridge would need to be widened to support two way traffic. The developers then brought forward figures claiming that the bridge could currently support 1,800 movements an hour - that's one vehicle each way every 4 seconds - and therefore didn't need widening. Anyone who has used that bridge locally knows that's laughable: and now it seems Kent County Council agree too.

"The widening of Horn Street bridge is essential before any planning permission is granted for the Shorncliffe development. It's not the only issue that needs to be addressed on the current application, but it is a clear red line.

"Local people need a promise from Shepway Development Control - no widened bridge, no planning permission. The development will see properties built for sale with a value of many tens of millions of pounds. If the developer Taylor Wimpey wants that work, and the profit on it, they need to invest in widening Horn Street bridge first."