Consultations launched on road closures

People are being asked their views on the current temporary road closures in the borough’s main towns, and whether they would like to see these orders made permanent.

Temporary road closures were put in place in Sittingbourne, Sheerness and Faversham town centres in July last year, to help people keep to social distancing rules during the pandemic. If permanent orders were to be taken forward they could be the same as the current arrangement and layout, or they could be modified or changed depending on the feedback from the informal consultation.

Informal consultations are taking place for each of the three towns to help the council get views from residents, businesses, shoppers, and workers.

Cllr Monique Bonney, cabinet member for property and economy at the council, said:

“Our town centres are really important. We want them to be vibrant, attractive places to visit and work in, with good accessibility, thriving businesses and communities.

“It is important we increase footfall and encourage events as well as encourage the use of public transport as well as walking and cycling.

“We want to carry out an informal consultation to get a clear view of all the issues and options.

“This is part of a wider scheme of work we are currently undertaking to improve the public realm in our town centres and help give them the boost they need to recover from the pandemic and thrive in the years ahead.

“We really want as many people as possible to take part in the consultations in each town so we can make an informed decision about what to do next.”

The informal consultations are running until Monday 14 June, and people can take part by visiting www.swale.gov.uk/town-centre-closures.

The results of the consultations will be shared with the Swale/Kent County Council Joint Transportation Board, and the council will then decide if they want to proceed with a formal consultation before any changes are implemented.