Three options are on the table to overhaul the notorious Brenley Corner and ease gridlock, KentOnline can exclusively reveal.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced last year that the junction was in line for a major upgrade using cash saved from scrapping a section of HS2.

The roundabout – which links the A2, M2 and A299 New Thanet Way on the outskirts of Faversham – was set to be improved with part of the estimated £36 billion expected to be saved by dropping the northern leg of the rail project.

But after Sir Keir Starmer’s landslide Labour victory in July, the improvements were thrown into doubt.

This website has now learned three new schemes are being considered but Kent County Council (KCC), National Highways and the Department for Transport (DfT) refused to provide further information.

However this week, KentOnline obtained exclusive details about the project.

The lower cost option would see some of the arms of the existing roundabout widened.

Another proposal is a flyover over the junction which would provide a free-flow link between the M2 and A2.

The final option is a new route to the south of the existing roundabout “providing direct free-flow connectivity” between the M2 and A2 while maintaining a free-flow link between the M2 and A299.

It is understood National Highways engaged Kent County Council officers through a series of technical workshops as they developed options for improvements.

There was reportedly a “long list of options” which led to a shortlist of three options which were supposed to be part of a public consultation in late 2022.

But the then government announced a two-year delay to the phasing of all road improvement projects so it postponed the public consultation.

The work on the strategic outline business case was then submitted to DfT to review and so the project was paused by National Highways until further instruction from the government.

It is understood KCC was told the scheme was “struggling to make a good value for money case”.

But when major parts of HS2 were cancelled and the government redirected funding to other transport schemes, it stated Brenley Corner improvements would be delivered.

An email seen by this paper says National Highways reportedly got back in contact with KCC after the announcement but “very little further work appeared to be progressed”.

DfT is reviewing road investments as part of the next stage of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

This is expected to be completed in April when more will be known about the future of “pipeline schemes” such as Brenley Corner.

The county councillor for Faversham Antony Hook has called for further details on the proposals to be released.

“Brenley Corner is a huge frustration to everyone in Faversham and we are all really fed up with the last government not doing any major works on it for years so it is important the new one does,” the Liberal Democrat said.

“It needs to upgrade it but also find an alternative to Operation Brock which impacts Faversham a lot as Brenley Corner is partially closed.

“We really need to see these drawings as we need to start consulting people on them so they can say what will work best.

“It does beg the question: Why have they never been released?”

Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately says traffic jams at Brenley Corner “cannot continue”.

"Thanks to my lobbying the junction was in line for an upgrade but I am concerned the new government will let us down,” the Conservative said.

“Design work had already been done, with three options for a new layout.

"The last Prime Minister allocated funding back in November last year.

"But the new Chancellor is reviewing all transport infrastructure projects and everything is on hold.

“I’m pressing the Chancellor and the transport secretary to get on with it and give us our junction upgrade.”

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the widely expected axing of the HS2 last year, citing a doubling of costs for the project.

No details have been released about how the money will be spent at Brenley Corner.

Action has long been called for at the site as it becomes notoriously snarled up during rush hours.

The junction also gets congested when Operation Brock is implemented on the M20 and lorries attempting to bypass Brock are turned back at Brenley to join the contraflow.

Improvements were included as a pipeline scheme in the national Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) – setting out the government’s investment in the road network – for development between 2020 and 2025, with potential delivery beyond 2025.

But there is no commitment to the scheme ultimately being included in RIS3 – investments for between 2025 and 2030 – for funding and taken through to construction.

A recent Swale Borough Council report warned its inclusion in RIS2 “cannot be relied on to mitigate developments planned for in [the council’s] emerging Local Plan”.

The document added until firm proposals come forward there is a “need to assess impacts and mitigation measures at a local level”.

A DfT spokesperson says the proposals for Brenley Corner “are in early development”.

“National Highways continue to work with the council and other local stakeholders in evaluating scheme options,” they said.

KCC and National Highways declined to comment.