Vision for Access and Movement in Medway

Local roads can't take the volume now without adequate road improvements this is not sustainable

The villages on the Hoo Peninsula require access to a car without which it is impossible to meet everyday needs otherwise you don't have access to shops, leisure facilities, takeaways, nightlife - most people accept this when they move to the area.

The existing road infrastructure currently barely allows for current usage of cars with roads into some major villages (High Halstow) down to a single lane entry points. Every proposed new house likely comes with 2 cars which means up to 4 journeys extra per day along those same single lane roads which must be changed/upgraded.

Bus transport is appalling so l never use it even with a bus pass .

The draft Local Plan is not "leading with a vision" in pursuit of net zero when considering the proposals for the Chatham Docks site. It is inconsistent when proposing land uses at the Docks which do not require access to the water and would not make use of water-transport, and forcing existing businesses which use water-based transport for bulky industrial products to relocate. The draft Local Plan has failed to grapple with the importance in transport and carbon terms (in particular NPPF paragraph 8), among others, when proposing residential redevelopment.

A full representation is provided to planning.policy@medway.gov.uk

Cheap good public transport with buses that aren't scheduled to run at the same time and then nothing for an hour.

The Plan must address development not just in Medway, but also in adjoining Local Authority areas where significant residential sites are being considered, e.g. Lidsing, which will produce additional burdens on Medway's infrastructure.

Full transport infrastructure must be in place for the hoo peninsula before any development is considered .
Enhanced bus services and use of river taxis to be explored.
I think rural areas are more reliant on car usage and local road infrastructure is necessary and with more and quality cost affective public transport to attract public usage

There is a lot of emphasis on home working - what if this diminishes over time?
Public transport links across medway are poor, all routes going through Chatham Increased housing development in the towns will add to road congestion.

2.14.1 The draft Local Plan states "[t]he integration of land use and transport planning has an important role to achieve net zero. In short, the planning of new development needs to shift from a mitigative to a creative approach, i.e. leading with a vision". However, the draft Local Plan does not put this in to practice when considering the proposals for the Chatham Docks site. Rather, it is inconsistent when proposing land uses at the Docks which do not require access to the water and would not make use of water-based means of transport, and which would force existing businesses which use water based transport for bulky industrial products to relocate. We submit that residential uses could be located in a large range of areas, without any particular need for proximity to water or a dock which would cease to be operational if residential uses replaced existing businesses. The draft Local Plan has failed to grapple with the importance in transport terms, among others, when proposing residential redevelopment.
2.15 Carbon impacts of transport
2.15.1 Whilst the draft Local Plan acknowledges that "[t]he levels of change required are unprecedented and equate to an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions from surface transport by 2030" there is a failure to protect the current low carbon means of transport by continuing water-based uses at Chatham Docks. The draft Local Plan does not assess the loss of the non-tidal docks and their importance for industries relying on water-based transport, with consequent carbon consequences. Current and future operators at the Chatham Docks who use water-based transport for materials and products would have to relocate and instead use road-based means of transport, potentially over longer distances, producing more carbon at a time of acute concern about the environment, and contrary to other statements in the draft Local Plan itself regarding net zero. In ArcelorMittal Kent Wire's case, were the docks to be redeveloped, they would likely be forced to relocate overseas, with products supplied to the South East travelling much longer distances with connected carbon consequences
2.15.2 We consider this failure to be material, in particular in failing to consider downstream carbon consequences contrary to the UK's transition to low carbon future pursuant to NPPF paragraph 8.

I live in Allhallows, where access to essential services is severely limited. Our local schools are full, and grocery shops are 10-11 miles away, requiring a 20-22 mile round trip. We have no alternative facilities, and the area has been neglected by Medway Council for years. With everything so far away, residents must rely on cars, increasing road traffic and pollution. Adding more houses will only exacerbate this issue, undermining efforts to reduce car use and pollution by 2050. Medway Council needs to address these challenges and consider the impact on outlying communities.

Roadworks should be included in any travel plan. If 2 or 3 roadworks closing roads are approved for routes in and out of Medway, this gridlocks the whole area. It's even worse if there is an accident closing one of the motorways. Being able to get out of Medway or get home should be the bare minimum

There are many buses that will take you into Chatham bus station but few that will give you direct local links. For example, there is no direct link between Lordswood, Clandon Road and Wayfield, Snodhurst Bottom or between Walderslade and Hempstead Valley. If I wanted to go to work by bus for a 10minute direct car journey I would need to take a bus into Chatham change and take another bus out again taking about 1 hour. People will not give up using there cars if this is the bus service on offer.

Significant gap within Transport chapter on vision for public transport - particularly development of bus, BRT and tram systems. Local Transport Plan will need to deliver a radical step change in the provision of public transport in order to support aspirations. A spatial policy on the provision of public transport systems, particularly operational facilities is required to ensure that provision of a suitable sustainable net zero public transport provision is provided. Strategy work on lobbying for local powers (e.g. bus franchising) and funding (including local fund raising e.g. Workplace Parking Levy) is urgently required.

A:hydrogen powered vehicles:
I saw an article back in summer that a london borough had a fleet of hydrogen powered buses to use but most were confined to depot as legislation for required H2 filling stations couldnt get govt. planning approval. I work for a company developing H2 ICE powertrain solutions for commercial vehicles like buses & lorries, so dont repeat.
B:pot holes:
Whether we have electric, hydrogen or normal fuelled vehicles, if situation with potholes on roads does not get sorted ahead of new housing development, problem will get worse & cause more disruption with more traffic on roads.

Will the train line be extended to areas of Lordswood, Hempstead, etc. you’re happy to build and over develop these areas beyond any rural recognition and therefore you must extend the train service to our no longer countryside. I cannot get a bus to places I want to go without travelling into Chatham first. Building more unwanted houses at great expense (ie not affordable save to those DFLs and greedy landlords) means additional and extensive bus routes

Gillingham Town Centre is now definitely included in the upcoming Local Plan, and the recent" Big Day Out" event showed just what Gillingham has to offer. However in the past it has been largely left behind in the development stakes. Wilko store is a large empty store, situated on a prime site open to vandalism. Banks closing do not help. For a high st including residents, there must be retail that attracts people to live and want to shop there. In another document in this I pIanI note that E Scooters are recommended as Transport. Not for the High st.