Chapter 2 Kent Context
Kent's Varied Nature
2.1 Kent has the largest population of any local authority area in the United Kingdom. Its population has grown by some 4% over the last decade to reach its current level of 1.3m people. 70% of this population live in Kent’s 19 principal towns, with the remaining 30% in the smaller settlements and rural areas. Kent has experienced an 11% increase in the number of households in the last decade, bringing the present total to around 563,000. One-person households represent over a quarter of this figure, which will continue to create a disproportionate demand for travel. Kent's population is likely to continue growing over the next decade and beyond with the major growth planned in the County, and this will present enormous transport challenges covered elsewhere in this Plan. The age composition of Kent's population has also changed over the last decade. Although the overall trend shows an increase in the number of children (those aged 15 or below), the most significant population increase has been among the 45-59 age-band. This trend presents an early indication that, in the next 10 to 15 years, Kent will have a population that is much older than it is today but that the distribution will not be evenly spread. Wards with predominately young populations are found mainly in Ashford and Dartford districts, while wards with predominately older populations are mainly found in Thanet, Shepway, Canterbury and Dover (coastal towns). This is summarised in Figures 2.1 and 2.2. These distributions create issues for transport planning relating to access to key services, vulnerability, personal safety and affordability that will exacerbate social exclusion if not planned for adequately. This is a significant issue for the Accessibility Strategy for Kent (ASK). A similar principle exists in public health, where significant differences are seen across Kent, broadly in line with relative deprivation levels. Dartford, Swale, Dover and Thanet have higher than average standardised mortality rates and higher than average numbers (for Kent) of permanently ill or disabled people.
Figure 2.1 Population Aged 75+
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Figure 2.2 Population Aged 0-15
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2.2 Kent's economy is not as prosperous as other parts of the South-East region. The County's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per head of population currently falls well below the regional average and the County's unemployment rate is higher than that of the South-East as a whole. A key issue for Kent is the need to reduce the differences in prosperity that exist across its twelve districts. Whilst levels of GDP are relatively high in west Kent those districts in the north and east of the County produce a relatively low GDP. There are also significant differences in the rate of unemployment throughout the County. In Thanet, unemployment stands at more than 3%, compared to 1.1% in Tonbridge & Malling, 1.0% in Tunbridge Wells and 1.6% in the South-East region, a fact which underlines the economic differences within Kent. Figure 2.3 shows unemployment rates in Kent.
Figure 2.3 Unemployment
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2.3 Kent is the second most deprived County Council area in the South-East region. Figure 2.4 illustrates the differences in deprivation levels across the County. This underlines the growth and regeneration needs of East Kent and the Thames Gateway, with the consequent need for investment in transport and improvements in accessibility; and the need to manage transport and housing demand in Kent's more prosperous districts in West Kent. Investment in transport infrastructure is also necessary to support the growth planned for Ashford. This growth will generate significant new demand for the movement of people and goods in the future, which will need to be met by the local transport network. The transport policy choices the County Council makes in reacting to these demands will be fundamentally important to the way in which the economy of Kent grows in the future.
Figure 2.4 Relative Deprivation Levels
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2.4 Kent’s Environment is varied and has many distinctive features, ranging from marshland, cliffs, scarp slopes and shingle beaches to woodland and orchards. This character is summarised on Figure 2.5.
Figure 2.5 Countryside Character
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2.5 95% of Kent outside urban areas is covered by an environmental designation or constraint, ranging from Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Special Landscape Areas to Sites of International Importance. Kent’s outstanding environmental quality – as the Garden of England – has shaped the vision for transport in Kent and driven the LTP environment objective. It is one of the primary drivers behind the strategies to encourage alternative means of transport and reduce the environmental impact of transport.