Transport, congestion and air quality improvements

  • Privately funded motorway junction and relief road delivered at the outset.
  • Avoids J5 of M2 and A249 corridor.
  • Supports the current businesses at both Eurolink and Kent Science Park.
  • Massive air quality benefits to communities within the Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and the wider area.
  • Relieving of congestion in the Swale borough.
  • Partners already in place providing certainty of delivery.

The delivery of junction 5a on the M2 and the connection of the Southern and Northern Relief Road will give thousands of local businesses and residents an alternative access to the M2 without the need to travel through Sittingbourne Town Centre, junction 5 of the M2 and the already congested A249 corridor. This will deliver huge benefits to job creation, air quality, housing delivery, road functioning and the economic success of the area.

Crucially the infrastructure enhancements come from land value capture i.e funded by the development and delivered in the first phase.

 


Case Study: Fowler Welch

One of Swale’s major hauliers has undertaken an independent study on the impact they have on the A2 and the benefits to them and to Sittingbourne of the proposed Southern Relief Road and J5a.

  • They make 66,000 journeys a year (1,270 a week) through Sittingbourne town centre to get to the A249/M2.
  • This emits 598 tonnes of CO2 a year.
  • Avoiding the A2 would result in an 8% reduction in CO2 (saving 48 tonnes), NOx and particulates.
  • Would save the business £100k a year in fuel and wasted time as the average journey time is 19 minutes to travel 7.1miles (22mph).
  • At any one time they have 2.4 lorries between the A249 and Brenley Corner.

The two major business parks in Sittingbourne, Eurolink and Kent Science Park, collectively have nearly 4m sq.ft of space, 600 businesses and 10,000 employees making it the biggest business centre in Kent.

As we all know, Junction 5 is unfit for purpose and is competing for funding from Highways England with a wide range of nationally significant projects for much needed improvements. As a result, an additional junction coming from Central Government is unlikely.

However, amidst a backdrop of a national housing crisis, Swale needs to deliver 9,000 new homes in the plan period – 2022- 2037. Through using Land Value Capture, Highsted Park can use the proceeds generated from the increased land value from getting planning consent to privately fund J5a, the Southern Relief Road and the completion of the Northern Relief Road.