Plans have been formally submitted for one of Kent’s costliest road schemes designed to take thousands of cars off a busy route each day. The planning bid for the £77 million North Thanet Link Road has now been lodged after ministers approved the scheme’s outline business case, marking a major milestone for the long-delayed project, says Kent Online.

Kent County Council’s (KCC) bid for Department for Transport funding for the six-mile route linking the A28 near Birchington with Manston Road has been significantly delayed.

First proposed in 2023, the scheme has since been hit by rising costs and delays to financial approvals, with construction now not expected to begin until 2028.

Official papers show the scheme would join up the A28 Canterbury Road near Birchington and Manston Road, effectively bypassing Birchington-on-Sea, Westgate-on-Sea and Garlinge – providing an alternative east-to-west route through the district.

Meanwhile, the A28 Canterbury Road sees a heavy volume of traffic between Birchington and Westgate-on-Sea, with more than 15,000 journeys made each day, with that figure likely to soar by around 3,000 in the next 20 years, as the county’s population grows and more homes are built, including a 1,600-home scheme on the edge of Birchington.

It is believed the project could help slash 2,500 journeys per day along the existing A28 corridor as more traffic would flow through the new Shottendane Road corridor.

Council papers claim the small village of Acol could see an influx of 7,000 vehicles per day if improvements do not go ahead.

Various other roads will be widened, including Manston Road and Shottendane Road, on a stretch parallel to the eastern part of Shottendane Road and the high street in Garlinge.

A new route would also be proposed between Hartsdown Road, Shottendane Road and Manston Road in Margate.

KCC will also take steps towards land acquisition and complete statutory orders before submitting a full business case, freeing up the majority of funds for this £76.7 million project if approved.

(Picture: Kent County Council)