‘Sustainable travel choices’

Corinthian Land managing director John Trotter has hit back at the claims in the Railton report and says it remains confident its own transport assessment is “technically robust”.

He said: “It is unfortunate that the Railton TPC report does not provide a balanced view of the transport proposals. It does not acknowledge the substantial investment in sustainable travel choices which will be made through the development, nor the numerous junction improvements and reduction in several accident blackspots that will be achieved.

“Critically, it fails to acknowledge that the new A2 junction will have real benefits for the city beyond the new development.

“There are several detailed points in their report which we refute, including its querying of trip rates and background traffic growth rates which have already been agreed with KCC, the city council and Highways England, and the selective use of data to substantiate a number of contradictory arguments.

“Corinthian will be pleased to correct those through ongoing community engagement to ensure that local people fully understand the proposals.

“Interestingly, we note that the report suggests that there would be a lower proportion of trips from Mountfield Park to Canterbury and more using the strategic road network, a view which is contrary to that expressed by many local residents. The Mountfield Park proposals offer a real opportunity to achieve a stepchange in the rate at which the city secures a necessary move towards more sustainable travel patterns.

“Corinthian will continue to work closely with the Highways Authority and city council to ensure we deliver this.”