A new speed limit could be introduced on a busy route where there has been two fatal accidents in five years.

Motorists driving on Marine Parade, between the Catamaran Yacht Club and Barton’s Point Coastal Park on Sheppey, could have to go 10mph slower if proposals are given the green light.

The road, which connects Sheerness and Minster along the coast and is used by hundreds of drivers every day, has been labelled an accident blackspot.

A 20-year-old was killed in a crash in January. The pedestrian was hit by a VW golf near the entrance to Barton’s Point.

Five years previously, a 77-year-old woman died after a head-on collision between an Age UK minibus and a car near the yacht club.

Cllr Mike Whiting (Ind), who represents Sheppey on Kent County Council, has campaigned since being elected last May to reduce the speed limit along the 400-metre stretch of road from 40mph to 30mph.

He hopes the scheme, which will go to public consultation, will improve safety and says it is the “right thing to do”.

Kent County Council (KCC) Highways had originally intended to maintain the current limit but after being “persuaded" Cllr Whiting said, the authority is now willing to look at extending the 30mph zone.

The bus stops, crash record and the number of pedestrians and cyclists using the road were all factors in convincing KCC to back the plans.

Cllr Whiting added: “I am pleased that KCC has changed its mind on this issue. I believe reducing the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph is the right thing to do.

“It will make access to the beach and Barton Point safer for pedestrians crossing the road to access the beach, for cyclists using the road and for cars going in and out Barton’s Point.

“I know that many would like to see a speed camera installed along this stretch, and that is something we can work on in the future, but the first step must be to change the speed limit, and I am delighted KCC Highways is now agreeable to that.

“I hope the public will the consultation support it.”

Speed surveys showed average speed of vehicles was around 35mph in each direction.

Some £1,124 of Cllr Whiting’s KCC Member Grant funding will go towards paying for the design of the scheme. Other funding arrangements to raise around £5,000 are still being looked into.

He hopes in the future further action will be taken on the road once the new limit is in place.

Sheerness Town Team chairman Phil Crowder has backed the plans but says the speed limit will need to be enforced by speed cameras.

The Sheerness resident added: “There have been fatal accidents on this road and people do speed around the blind bend so it would be wonderful to have the limit.

"However, it will need policing. The road can be made whatever speed but without enforcement people will continue to speed.

“But that said, I am all for it. The speed limit is one part of a larger problem in that part of Sheerness.

“With parking charges at the Ship on Shore car park, people park on the street which causes traffic problems coming into and out of Sheerness so anything that slows down the traffic is a positive.”

Lynn Gosney, who lives in Minster, said she would be “pleased” to see a new limit but agreed that speed cameras and double white lines will be needed to enforce it.

Meanwhile, local cab driver, Gary Howells from Leysdown uses the road multiple times a day and backs the plans.

But the 58-year-old said the money going towards the scheme would be a “pointless cost” without further measures coming in the future.