Hundreds join debate over need for a bypass
Nearly 400 people attended a public debate to discuss the need for a Leeds-Langley relief road – something first mooted in the 1990s.
The meeting held at the Mercure Great Danes Hotel in Hollingbourne was called by Kent County Councillors Gary Cooke and Paul Cooper, with Maidstone’s two MPs Helen Whately and Helen Grant joining them on the platform, along with the leader of Maidstone Borough Council Fran Wilson and KCC’s director of highways, Roger Wilkin.
It was chaired by Geoff Miles, the chairman of Maidstone Studios, with KCC leader Paul Carter present in an individual capacity.
Ideas for a road to connect traffic from the south of Maidstone to junction 8 of the M20, bypassing Leeds and stopping motorway traffic having to head into the town centre have come and gone over 30 years.
After two hours’ discussion, the majority view was in favour of a bypass, but there was acrimony along the way.
Cllr Cooper said: “It did become in some aspects a rather public airing of the grievances between KCC and MBC, and there was rather a lot of discussion about housing levels and the Local Plan, which was not really the point.”
Residents from Willington Street and Downswood told the meeting of the noise and pollution they were suffering and urged the authorities to build a bypass as soon as possible.
But not everyone was in favour, with a word of warning voiced by Cllr Cheryl Taylor Maggio, the chairman of Langley Parish Council. She suggested a bypass would not ease traffic on the A274 Sutton Road, which would become full of traffic heading to the bypass. She also suggested once a relief road was built, it could attract more housing development to the area, adding to congestion.
John Govett, the chairman of Leeds Parish Council, spoke strongly in favour, arguing had Maidstone council included the provision for a relief road in its Local Plan from the start, it might already have collected £45m in developer contributions towards the cost.
The meeting concluded without a vote, but Cllr Cooper said: “I think almost everybody accepted the need for a bypass, and almost everybody accepted it should be nowhere near their backyard.”
See page 30 for MP Helen Grant’s views on the meeting.