A new east-to-west road across north Thanet, estimated to cost £76.7 million, was reported to be approaching a planning application submission when the Joint Transportation Board met on 10 September 2026 to consider minutes from its June meeting.

A major new road scheme for north Thanet, estimated to cost £76.7 million, was the subject of a detailed update to the Joint Transportation Board at its meeting on 4 June 2026, the minutes of which were before the board when it met again on 10 September 2026.

Scheme details and funding

The North Thanet Link is a strategic highway and active travel scheme promoted by Kent County Council. It aims to provide an alternative east-to-west route to the A28 Canterbury Road, which officers described as suffering from high traffic volumes, unreliable journey times and limited resilience during incidents, roadworks and seasonal peaks. The scheme would also route traffic away from Acol village.

The Department for Transport approved the scheme’s Outline Business Case in the second quarter of 2025, releasing £3.2 million in development funding. Of the total estimated cost of £76.7 million, £62.9 million is funded by the DfT and £13.8 million from Section 106 developer contributions. Construction was estimated to begin in the first quarter of 2028, with the full scheme opening by the first quarter of 2030.

Planning and compulsory purchase

A planning application was due for submission at the end of June 2026. Statutory processes would include Compulsory Purchase Orders and Side Roads Orders, including for the planned closure of Margate Hill to vehicular traffic. The scheme was said to achieve a 17% biodiversity net gain through extensive tree planting, surpassing the 10% policy requirement.

Funding risks and local opposition

Project Manager James Wraight acknowledged that ongoing legal challenges relating to a developer site at Birchington and the undetermined planning status of a site at Westgate represented risks to the Section 106 funding. He told the board that flexibility had been negotiated into the Birchington agreement to allow earlier funding tranches to be drawn upon first occupation. If developer funds were significantly delayed, the council would explore alternative funding or piecemeal delivery.

One board member raised strong local opposition from the Garlinge and Westgate Residents Associations, citing concerns about the loss of high-grade agricultural land and increased vehicular congestion, and called for further public consultation. Mr Wraight responded that a 2023 public consultation had shown 65% support across the district and that the road alignment had been kept close to the existing Shottendane Road to minimise agricultural land loss.

Sources

Top image: illustrative, computer-generated. Illustrative AI-generated image. This is not a photograph of the North Thanet Link route or any real location.