Anger at plans for road, with trees’ future at risk
Kent County Council is planning major changes on the Sutton Road in Maidstone to ease congestion.
As the KM has reported, the highways authority intends to add an extra lane in both directions on the A274 at the junction with Willington Street.
This would create dedicated turning lanes into Willington Street and Wallis Avenue.
But the plans require using the grass verge on both sides of the road and felling a number of trees.
The scheme has angered nearby residents, who are currently isolated from the busy road by an extensive green area. If it goes ahead, the traffic will come much closer to their homes.
Linda Weeks has lived in Bell Meadow for 14 years. She said: “The trees and hedge that currently screen and soak up some of the emissions from passing traffic will be destroyed.”
Although KCC is carrying out a consultation on the plans, she was critical of the degree of publicity it had been given.
She said: “They are going to create a six-lane highway, but only a very few residents in Bell Meadow have received a leaflet, and nobody living in the service road alongside Sutton Road has had notification.”
KCC acknowledged increased noise is a concern and it aims to provide noise screening fences for Bell Meadow and Sutton Road residents.
The scheme will cost £3 million, which Mrs Weeks said would be better spent elsewhere. She said: “The only effective way to ease congestion on Sutton Road is to build the relief road.”
A KCC spokesman said: “Without these improvements the junction will be over capacity imminently and congestion will worsen.”
He said 1,500 leaflets were delivered. But another resident in the service road off Sutton Road, who did not wish to be named, confirmed no one there had the letter, adding people were “livid”.
Mrs Weeks said: “It’s not really a consultation. Engineers have been out this week measuring up. It is clearly going ahead.”
KCC will hold a drop-in session for residents to view the plans at St Martin’s Church, Nor thumbe r land Road, between 3.30pm and 6.30pm tomorrow (Friday).
People can send their views by email to SuttonRoad.Major Project@kent.gov.uk
Tree clearance will start in February and construction should be completed by August 2018.