A £12million tunnel linking Bluewater to Ebbsfleet Garden City has been given the green light despite concerns over safety for cyclists and walkers.

Kent County Council's (KCC) planning committee approved plans drawn up by Maidstone County Hall chiefs to connect more than 6,000 homes at Eastern Quarry, known as Whitecliffe, to Dartford's landmark shopping centre.

The planned housing development is bordered by Bean Road and Bluewater on one side and Ebbsfleet International on the other. The 80m tunnel used by the Fastrack bus service is expected to be in operation from April 2022.

KCC's planning bosses unanimously backed the multi-million pound plans. The applicant says it will relieve "unacceptable traffic congestion" and benefit thousands of future homeowners. It was also backed by Dartford council.

Malling county councillor Matthew Balfour (Con), who has previously worked with Fastrack, said: "The tunnel has been a long held ambition and will be of benefit to the new housing development, Bluewater and the local community."

However, Maidstone county councillor Ian Chittenden (Lib Dem) said he had "serious questions" around protection measures, saying: "There is a risk that buses could lose control being so close together with cyclists and walkers."

His comments came after Bean Residents' Association expressed fears over the safety of pedestrians and cyclists sharing the use of the 80m tunnel with buses while councillors worried of "vandalism" to tunnel entrances.

KMTV reports on the decision

Critics have complained that the plan is "essentially an enhanced bus route" and other anxieties have been expressed over safeguarding the site for any future use as a tramline, following the examples of Croydon and Manchester.

However, KCC planning officer Paul Hopkins said the "underpass" would only take 18 seconds for cyclists to travel through and 60 seconds for pedestrians. He added it is "sufficient size" for the operation of any future tram service.

Buses will use the site every five minutes, travelling at slow speeds of 20mph, while these will be electric vehicles to boost their climate change strategy, he added in the virtual meeting earlier today.

Dartford county councillor Penny Cole (Con), who represents the area, told the KCC committee that she "fully supports" the scheme as a means to promoting an "environmentally-friendly" option to travelling to Bluewater.

The proposal includes traffic lights prioritising buses; a shared cycle and pedestrian pathway to Bluewater Parkway. These have not yet been built.

However, Bean Residents' Association said that these pedestrian crossings at the tunnel openings are "unsafe" with Cllr Paul Cooper (Con) calling for them to be blocked off rather than "in-filled" with waste as proposed by KCC. The applicant will be informed of the concerns but will not have to act on them.

KCC committee members, 11 in total, debated and decided on an outcome for the controversial plans during the first ever virtual planning meeting earlier today, which lasted two hours. They unanimously supported the application.

Swanscombe and Greenhithe county councillor Peter Harman (Ind), who also represents the area, was among the chief backers. He said: "The proposed tunnel is very important to the local residents and for local infrastructure."

The underpass will house a 3.5m wide single way Fastrack bus route linking Eastern Quarry and Bluewater. Emergency vehicles will be allowed access, however cars will not.

There will also be a 2m wide footway on the southern side of the tunnel and a 3m wide shared cycle and pedestrian pavement on the other side.

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