The new coalition Cabinet of Alliance, Liberal Democrat and Labour leaders running Tunbridge Wells Borough Council have submitted a proposal to narrow the B2160 at its junction with the A21 at Kippings Cross to one lane, from two.
It is astonishing that the coalition Cabinet should have submitted such a plan which - as their plan clearly states it would have the deliberate effect of increasing delays on the B2160 at that junction by on average 39 minutes at the morning peak and 17 minutes at the evening peak!
What the proposal does not say – but which is obvious – is that if implemented the plan would substantially increase rat-running through the very narrow and winding roads parallel to the A21 in Pembury.
This would likely have significantly adverse impacts for Pembury and Sherwood residents using the A21 from the Pembury junction heading towards Lamberhurst.
This is an immensely damaging plan from the Cabinet at TWBC, which contains an Alliance councillor (David Hayward) from Pembury and a Labour councillor (Hugo Pound) representing Sherwood who is in charge of planning on the Cabinet!
Such a major and damaging proposal has been submitted without any consultation with the parish councils affected or Greg Clark as our Member of Parliament who chairs the A21 Reference Group which has secured the improvements we have had to this road.
At the very least, the Cabinet at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council – which includes an Alliance councillor (David Hayward) for one of the parishes most badly affected, Pembury (ironically the Cabinet Member for Governance and Transparency) - should have alerted and consulted the parishes represented and Greg Clark MP for comments before submitting such an immensely damaging plan in the name of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
Greg Clark MP has asked National Highways to undertake no further work to implement this proposal, and has written to the Planning Inspector asking him to disregard the proposal from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council which has avoided democratic scrutiny. Greg Clark has also written to the Secretary of State to ask him to disregard any recommendation from the Inspector if it continues to rely on this proposal from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
National Highways have been asked to share proposals to discourage rat-running off the A21 around Pembury, Matfield, Brenchley and Horsmonden which we hope will help matters and for the plan to be advanced to ensure that the dualling of the A21 between Kippings Cross and Lamberhurst proceeds in the next available slot.
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Cllr Paul Barrington-King - [email protected] (Conservative Kent County Councillor for TW East Division)
Greg Clark MP - www.gregclark.org/contact-me