Kent Rights of Way improvement plan

The scheme involves upgrading of footpaths and quiet roads to create a Loose Valley “Greenway”. This provides a shared use pedestrian/cycle route between the Loose Valley and Maidstone Town Centre, serving locations such as schools along the route. The scheme will reduce the revenue costs of maintaining the existing rights of way network in the area. By shifting some trips away from car, the scheme will help address transport congestion in the Loose area and in turn help unlock housing sites which otherwise may be unviable because of the additional traffic likely to be generated.

Loose Valley Greenway Scheme

The overall scheme presented in this Business Case is Kent-wide, providing complementary rights of way improvements which will enable access to employment, education or other facilities, linked to housing and other developments. The Loose Valley Greenway scheme is located in the Maidstone area, linking housing around the Loose Valley itself with Maidstone via the River Medway Path which is itself the subject of an LGF-funded scheme. This will provide access to schools, employment sites and other facilities as well as providing an enhanced leisure route for residents in the wider Maidstone area, including tourists and other visitors. The route itself follows a number of existing rights of way and quiet roads. The improvements proposed will deliver a route suitable for use year-round by both walkers and cyclists. Although paths along the Loose Valley stream itself exist, many are unsuitable for upgrading, especially in view of the historically important nature and sensitive ecology of the stream, mill ponds and buildings. By transferring trips from car to walk and cycle, the Loose Valley Greenway scheme will complement the other schemes in the Maidstone area by providing walk and cycle access which will help ‘lock in’ the benefits of the capacity improvement.

£579m of investment to East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock

In total the SELEP Growth Deal with Government has brought £579m of investment to East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock. Over the lifetime of the Growth Deal (2015-2021) we aim to deliver 78,000 jobs and 29,000 homes across the SELEP area, with the Deal set to attract a further £960m of investment into the South East over the six year period.

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