A multi-million-pound project to build a new route out of Herne Bay has sparked a backlash from residents - as it is revealed work will start within months.

Developer Countryside Properties is expected to start the first phase of work to lay a new spine road running through the centre of its planned 800-home estate at Strode Farm in May.

The brand-new highway will extend from the roundabout nearest Herne Bay cemetery in Canterbury Road and end at another to be constructed by Kent County Council in Bullockstone Road.

It will form part of the Herne Relief Road project, the second half of which will be delivered by KCC.

The authority will begin its portion of the scheme in June, by widening Bullockstone Road and installing two new roundabouts along the rat-run.

Some residents fear parts of the proposals are "an accident waiting to happen". But city councillor Joe Howes hopes the sweeping changes will help to put an end to drivers travelling to and from Canterbury chugging through the centre of Herne village.

“It’s been needed for so long now,” the Conservative politician said.

“Herne, being such a historic village, was not designed for motor vehicles – but it’s become a rat-run.

“People who have been living in older buildings constantly raise concerns about their windows shaking as large vehicles go through the village.

“It’s got to be done with all of the new houses [about 3,000] planned for Herne Bay.”

Countryside Properties has already been given the green light to build a completely new junction at the Canterbury Road roundabout to accommodate the route through Strode Farm.

But it has launched another bid to instead reconfigure the roundabout, which would see the current Thanet Way on-slip towards Whitstable sealed off.

A new exit will funnel motorists onto the housing development’s spine route, which will be equipped with a traffic-lit junction leading to the Thanet Way.

A spokeswoman for Countryside Properties expects this work to commence in May.

“We listened to responses from residents, the parish council and from discussions with KCC highways, and felt a revised and improved road scheme would benefit them all,” she told KentOnline.

“The junction is still going through the detailed design process, but it’s KCC’s preferred option.

“It will meet all the current design criteria published by the Department for Transport and its design will be subject to an independent road safety audit to ensure all risks are identified and addressed accordingly.”

However, locals fear the proposed slip-road onto the Thanet Way will put motorists in danger as they join the dual-carriageway.

They point to plans showing the on-slip will be 120 metres shorter than the one currently there.

“This is an accident waiting to happen,” said 57-year-old Graham Jones, of Canterbury Road.

“Vehicles, including cars and lorries, with slow acceleration will have to start from a standstill at the traffic lights, navigate a curved slip-road, and then wait for a gap to enter the carriageway safely.

“This will give rise to situations where considerably faster traffic will be met by slow-moving vehicles.

“It seems to me that attempting to join the westbound carriageway of the Thanet Way is going to be fraught with danger. There is an existing slip-road which serves the purpose adequately.”

Neighbour Jill Holness also expects the shortened stretch to spark a series of crashes, as “there will not be enough road to pick up the speed” necessary to safely join the Thanet Way.

The 63-year-old, from Lower Herne Road, adds that the new spine road, which will run behind a number of homes close to the roundabout, will force several residents to inhale exhaust fumes.

“This will not only increase the noise pollution but also air pollution, with cars waiting at the traffic lights to enter the slip-road onto the A299,” Ms Holness explained.

An audit concluded that “loss-of-control collisions” could occur along the bend of the slip-road, if speeds are not capped below 60mph.

Despite this, KCC’s highways officers say the stretch would comply with traffic regulations.

Papers also show that the Canterbury Road roundabout would be converted into a “dumbbell arrangement”, preventing vehicles from turning around at the junction.

Traffic lights will be installed at two of the turnings, regulating traffic heading from Herne Bay and the Thanet Way off-slip.

The new roundabout exit for Strode Farm will merge with a route stretching to Bullockstone Road, where KCC is set to build one of its two new roundabouts.

The authority will begin its part of the relief route project, costing almost £9 million, with the installation of the other roundabout, though, at the junction between Bullockstone Road and the A291 Canterbury Road.

Bullockstone Road will then be widened, fitted with a pavement and have its speed limit reduced to 40mph.

“There’ll be better access onto the relief road, avoiding the village, where we know it’s stop-start,” Cllr Howes continued.

“People get frustrated going through Herne now because there are tailbacks in the mornings and evenings.

“The majority of residents see this as a good thing, but some see it as moving the problem close to them, impacting their ways of life.”

KCC’s plans also include closing Lower Herne Road to general traffic where it meets Bullockstone Road.

Authority bosses say they are now in a position to deliver its part of the project in one go over 54 weeks, rather than in phases, after securing a £2.1 million grant.

The route will be subject to phased closures, with diversions in place.