Sturry link road

As part of the Sturry link road scheme, there will be a road built that crosses both the railway and the Great Stour river. It would allow traffic to avoid the level crossing and support the planned new housing developments for Sturry and Broad Oak.

The link road would start at a new junction on the A28 and head north across the Great Stour and railway line. A combined viaduct solution is likely rather than individual bridges. This is because the ground conditions are poor and the Great Stour runs close to the railway. Also, the route the road can take is restricted.

From the railway the road would turn east to connect back to the A291. Where the road runs will partly be influenced by the layout of the proposed housing development. The idea at this stage is for a junction in the area of (E) that would allow separate connections to be made to the A291 and A28.

The link road would open up opportunities for improvements to the station including a car park. If a new pedestrian footbridge was provided as part of a station upgrade the pedestrian crossing could be closed - Milner Crossing (G).

The new road would be close to another level crossing at Broad Oak (H). The link road would open up the potential opportunity to close the crossing if a suitable connection to the link road could be achieved.

The £29.6m project has been secured by Kent County Council, with £5.9m from the Local Growth Fund obtained from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, and the £23.7m match funding.

Scheme plan

Sturry Link Road scheme plan (PDF, 1.7 MB)

Sturry Link Road Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) (PDF, 175.0 KB)

Sturry Link Road consultation booklet (PDF, 4.9 MB)

Sturry Link Road consultation report (PDF, 4.0 MB)

Formal decision

The approval to progress the Sturry link road was taken by Kent County Council on:

The decision by the SELEP Accountability Board to grant Local Growth Funding for the Sturry link road was made on the 24 June 2016.

Consent Decision Notice (PDF, 266.9 KB)

The A28 through Sturry gets congested because the level crossing interrupts traffic. The new road would allow traffic to avoid the level crossing and improve access to Sturry station.

The road will also support the planned housing developments in Sturry and Broad Oak, where up to 1,000 houses are proposed.

  • Surveys and outline designs - autumn 2015 to spring 2017
  • Public consultation before planning - summer 2017
  • Planning consent granted - September 2021
  • Procurement of a design and build contract - autumn 2021 to spring 2023
  • Detailed design - spring 2023 to winter 2024
  • Construction - spring 2025 to summer 2026.

The public consultation before planning has now closed for comments but the consultation report and accompanying documents are available under the scheme plan section on this page.

To contact us or for further information about this scheme email SturryLinkRoad@kent.gov.uk.

Funded by

The government Growth Deal provides money to the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, funding projects which drive Kent’s economic and business growth.