The borough council has been told to rethink its plans for a roundabout at the chaotic junction between the A2 and the Ashford Road.

Designs are currently being drawn up for the proposed development at the end of the A251 to potentially end traffic woes that cause gridlock during rush hours.

But councillors Ben Martin and Mike Henderson (both Independent) believe the public consultation carried out almost two years ago was a “fraud” and people should be asked again what they truly want.

A majority voted for traffic lights at the end of the road but the borough council’s Joint Transportation Board (JTB) overrode the decision.

On Monday this week, Cllr Martin spoke at a JTB meeting to propose the council looks again at the options available and suggested there was more to examine than just a simple selection of either a roundabout or traffic lights.

Cllr Martin said after the meeting: “I believe we should go ahead with the roundabout.

“However, I believe we should create an extra road from further up the Ashford Road, going behind the fire station and out on to the A2 directly opposite the Mall.

“The roundabout would be there, rather than at the end of the Ashford Road.

“It would improve the chaotic junction of the Mall, decrease traffic coming from the Ashford Road on to the A2 and create better access for the fire brigade needing to get out on to the A2.”

Cllr Henderson added: “The problem here is that they have not consulted properly. Their consultation was a fraud. It simply wasn’t worth doing.

“The council needs to go out there and speak to people about what they really want.

“We have thousands of houses proposed for the town which means so many more drivers and it is going to make a radical long-term change to the town.

“The people of Faversham deserve to be properly consulted about something which is going to affect them so drastically.”

The borough council has said it will now consider Cllr Martin’s idea and any other options which could work at the junction.

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