Updates on transport, parking and other arrangements for spectators at the 149th Open are now available.

The latest community information is available on the Dover District Council website and information boards will be on display outside the Guildhall in Sandwich this month.

The golf championship is from July 11 to 18 and for the first time in 10 years at Royal St George’s in Sandwich.

It is Kent's biggest sporting event.

The information includes details on traffic and parking restrictions, public transport and park and ride sites plus information on the economic benefits of hosting The Open.

There is also a list of answers to frequently asked questions.

The platforms at Sandwich railway station have been extended to allow for 12-carriage trains without blocking the level crossing on Dover Road.

To avoid overcrowding at the station, as the pandemic continues, there will be a queuing system in a field east of St George’s Road. Passengers can also wait before boarding trains on a new pedestrian walkway.

There is also parking for around 12,000 cars.

Drivers can leave their vehicles at two park and ride sites in fields north and south of Sandwich. These can be found by road signposts.

Park and ride buses from the north site go via Monks Way, the Toll Bridge, High Street and St George’s Road.

From the south site they go via the Deal/Dover Road and St George’s Road.

Local traffic should use Ash Road and Woodnesborough Road to avoid event traffic.

The level crossing at Sandwich station will be closed more frequently as more trains will pass.

Parking restrictions on the main routes to and from the course, and adjacent residential roads, will be in place. This is to help traffic flows and prevent on-street parking by spectators.

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of organisers the R&A (Royal and Ancient), said: “ We’ve been working very closely with the government and Public Health, and the safety of the players, officials, media, spectators, and the local community is paramount.

“We’re cautiously optimistic of a significant attendance at Royal St George's."

Cllr Trevor Bartlett, leader of Dover District Council, said: “Hosting The 149th Open is just the fillip we need to kick-start the visitor economy and get the tills ringing again in east Kent.

“I’m grateful to the many local residents and businesses who have shown their support.

"Of course, hosting a world-class sporting event comes with some degree of disruption to the local community, but I’m confident we’re in for a great summer.”

Mike Hill, Kent County Council’s cabinet member for community and regulatory services, said: “The Open is the biggest sporting event hosted in Kent and provides a major boost to the local economy.”

The Open is golf’s most international major championship, followed globally by millions of fans, and has been played since 1860.

It will be at Royal St George’s for the 15th time and was last there in 2011 when Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland was the winner.

That year the Sport Industry Research Centre found that £24 million of new money was generated by The Open in the Kent economy.

In 2021 this is forecast to rise to £30 million of local spending by visitors to Kent during the championship week.

Independent research at The Open indicates that two thirds of spectators will return to the host venue for a leisure visit within 12 months.

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