An “absurd” closure of the only road through Britain’s smallest town to fix the mayor’s £1 million house will be cut back following crisis talks.

The busy route through Fordwich - on the outskirts of Canterbury - was due to close for six months between April and September to allow for “essential” work on the Grade II-listed property.

However, after residents slated the length of the closure, Kent County Council (KCC) has informed mayor Barney Riggs it will now follow a shorter timeframe.

The closure will start on Monday, April 7 and is now anticipated to last for 12 weeks - to the end of June - although this could increase to 14 weeks if affected by poor weather.

Adjustments to the scheme also mean King Street will no longer be closed at all, though the High Street will be shut off meaning access through the town will be blocked.

Mr Riggs told KentOnline the decision came during efforts to “reach a more pragmatic solution”.

“What they're allowing us to do this time is to close a footpath, which before they wouldn't allow,” said Mr Riggs.

“We have agreed that different working arrangements will allow us to have the reduced closure.”

It still means that many of the 6,000 drivers a day who use the town as a cross-city “rat run” will be forced onto the already congested A28 Sturry Road.

But Mr Riggs – who has owned the “iconic” Manor House for seven years - says the repair work is unavoidable.

He says the old lime and wattle plaster frontage panels on the 16th-century property have been crumbling and falling down onto the pavement and street below, creating a “significant public safety issue”.

Manor House was built in the mid-16th century and was once home to artist Alfred Palmer, who is recognised by a Blue Plaque on the property as the founder of the East Kent Arts Society.

It was bought by Mr Riggs - a policy advisor for the government - for £865,000 in 2018 and is now reported to be worth upwards of £1 million.

Mr Riggs, who is also the chairman of Fordwich Town Council, has written to many of the town’s 400 residents thanking them in advance of the work for their “understanding and co-operation”.

He told KentOnline last week: “We can’t just let the house fall down around our ears so have been working with heritage buildings experts and Kent Highways for a long time to find the best solution.

“The decision to close the road was taken out of our hands by Kent County Council (KCC) after all other options were looked at.

“One of the main issues would be the need to create a temporary new 1.5-metre wide footpath if the road was kept open, with traffic lights and single-file traffic.

“But it was felt that just wasn’t practical as it’s very narrow and the traffic would become too backed up.

“I know the closure will inconvenience residents, for which we apologise, but we have tried to find ways to minimise the impact.

"Some people actually welcome the idea of less traffic in Fordwich, which has been an issue for years, especially when most of it is drivers using the town as a rat-run."

A KCC statement released today said: “Following conversations between KCC, the contractors, and the homeowner, a solution has been reached to significantly reduce the duration of the closure in Fordwich.

“The revised plan will involve simultaneous work on both facades of the building, with only High Street being closed to facilitate these efforts. To accommodate this change, a narrower than usual temporary footway will be established on King Street.

“We anticipate that the reduced traffic volumes and additional signage will mitigate any inconvenience caused by this.

“We will closely monitor the progress of the works and make any necessary adjustments to the closure plan as the project advances.”

The closure is expected to add to huge jams expected in Canterbury when roads around the Westgate Towers are hit by a year’s worth of closures from April 22.

A regeneration project will see St Peter’s Place shut to all vehicles heading towards the historic landmark for about five months, before the closure is reversed.

London Road and Rheims Way - on the city’s ring-road - are expected to bear the brunt of the diverted traffic and are already notoriously congested at peak hours.

Sturry Road - a route also regularly gridlocked during rush hour - will pick up the majority of vehicles diverted away from Fordwich.

But KCC has defended allowing works impacting two major routes into the city to take place at the same time, telling KentOnline the “two diversion routes do not affect each other”.