Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
GATHERING
Protest over road plan for meadow
Campaigners who fear a controversial relief road could cut through a ‘lifeline’ meadow on the city’s outskirts have come out in force to protest against the plans. Sean Delaney reports on an issue that saw more than 300 people gather on Saturday to voice their concerns...
Huge crowds gathered at a city beauty spot on Saturday to protest against a new bypass being built through it. More than 300 people took part in the demonstration at Dukes Meadow, near Harbledown, on Saturday to voice fears about the new road.
Running between Whitstable Road and Harbledown, it would be one of two new bypasses in the city funded by the construction of an extra 7,000 homes across the district by 2040
But campaigners are up in arms as the road could cut through Dukes Meadow, which has been described as a “lifeline to many through lockdown”.
A petition - called No Western Bypass Through Our Valley - has already attracted more than 1,000 signatures online.
And Saturday’s event was evidence of the swell of opposition against the scheme, which is Canterbury City Council’s preferred option for its draft local plan.
Labour city councillor Mel Dawkins (St Stephens) helped organise the protest.
“Whatever happens next in the local plan, we need to protect our meadows and green spaces,” she said.
“This is what it was about today, to show the strong feeling of people and residents who care for this green space. And to object to the proposals in the
preferred option to build excess of 9,000 houses to build these bypasses in the first place.
“More needs to be done to protect our biodiversity and to find alternative more environmentally friendly ways of getting around.
“The climate emergency is here and we really need to take stock and make the bold moves to combat it.
“More consideration needs to be shown about the environment impact assessment of the preferred option and the excess of houses in Canterbury.
“At the moment the evidence is quite thin.
“We have our collective voice and this is why we gathered on the meadows today.”
City council leader Ben Fitter-harding believes the bypasses - the other stretching from Sturry to Bridge - are essential to reduce congestion on the snarled-up ring-road.
But a host of critics have hit out at the plan and questioned the logic behind building more homes to address a traffic problem.
The government recommends 9,000 homes be built across the district between
2031 and 2040, but the council’s preferred option would increase this to 17,000.
Speaking at the protest on Saturday, KCC councillor for Canterbury City North Alister
Brady (Lab) called for people to mobilise against the plans.
“People came from every single direction, so that demonstrates how central and important that is to us,” he said.
“We use it for walking our dog for exercising and just taking that time to spend time here, which is incredibly important for our mental wellbeing, which we have noticed throughout the pandemic is incredibly important.
“But a few people in the council don’t think that’s important enough for us.
“A few people think they can decide how we live our lives and where we spend our time.
“They produced a local plan that is unrealistic and is incredibly unpopular. We can’t let that happen.”
Steph Jarrett, who launched the online petition, says she is “really grateful that other people care about this”, adding that “the numbers showed this today”.
Blean city councillor Alex Ricketts (Lib Dem) added: “The preferred option in the local plan is preferred by nobody outside of the few who devised it. It risks grossly over-developing the area, threatening our heritage, environment and quality of life.”
William Rowlandson, a resident who spoke at the gathering, added: “The road would destroy this valuable landscape, adding
pollution, noise and light and to a green gap of rich biodiversity.
“There are no benefits of this road.
“The rough sketches presented by Canterbury City Council on the local plan consultation appear to show the road slicing through the woodland and the farm and Kent College, dumping traffic on an already busy road by a nasty junction.”
Others have suggested upgrading the existing roads rather than building new ones.
What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk.
‘The preferred option in the local plan is preferred by nobody outside of the few who devised it. It risks grossly over-developing the area, threatening our heritage, environment and quality of life’