Badsell Road junction in Paddock Wood to be upgraded as 1,000 new homes arrive

Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists using the junction of Badsell Road (B2017) and Maidstone Road (B2160) in Paddock Wood are in for some hefty changes from autumn 2026, after Kent County Council handed the construction contract to Breheny Civil Engineering Ltd. Three nearby housing developments will together bring 1,000 new homes to the area. The scheme goes well beyond road capacity — covering safer walking and cycling routes, flood protection, and new wildlife habitat too.

The bill is being picked up by developers through Section 106 contributions, the money planning rules require housebuilders to pay towards local infrastructure when their schemes get the green light. KCC is leading the project. Works will add two approach lanes at the Maidstone Road junction, improve pedestrian and cycling links including connections to Leigh Academy Mascalls, and create flood mitigation basins and underground storage to strengthen drainage.

And then there’s the dormice. Vegetation along Badsell Road may provide habitat for hazel dormice — a protected species — which meant KCC had to secure a licence from Natural England before any clearance could begin. That licence condition means work cannot start until mid-September 2026, rather than earlier in the school summer holidays. A replacement dormouse habitat will be created as part of the scheme.

Not every infrastructure project gets held up by a small nocturnal rodent, but here we are.

Breheny Civil Engineering Ltd said it was delighted to have been awarded the contract and looks forward to delivering the infrastructure alongside KCC and project partners. KCC says the upgrade is needed because local roads must keep pace with the housing growth already under way in Paddock Wood.

Construction is expected to run from mid-September 2026 until late spring.