An £11m scheme to ease congestion on the A249 near junction 7 of the M20, has taken a step forward, after Kent County Council (KCC) sought permission for an additional part of the project.

KCC was given the greenlight for its A249 Bearsted Road Improvement Scheme in 2018, which includes the enlargement of two roundabouts along Bearsted Road, at the A249 and New Cut Road junctions, signals, and the use of smart technology to reduce traffic.

The road will also be widened between Bearsted Road and New Cut Road.

Work is planned to begin in May this year and last 18 months.

Earlier this month, an application to build a new entrance at Newnham Court Shopping Village, in Bearsted Road, Weavering, was lodged by KCC with Maidstone Borough Council.

The application forms part of the wider scheme.

KCC wants to build a new access road to the village off Newnham Court, which drivers can enter via the New Cut roundabout.

The application seeks to change the existing access at Bearsted Road, but documents outlining the scheme make clear it will be removed.

Plans to increase car parking spaces at the shopping village from 27 to 44, build an internal service road as well as a compound area, are included in the application.

The works have been bought forward in order to accommodate extra traffic from new development on Eclipse Park and at the Maidstone Medical Campus. Work by Highways England on M2 Junction 5, is expected to lead to further congestion.

The project is budgeted at £11.4m, of which KCC has obtained £9.4m from the government's national productivity investment fund, £1.5m from developers and £0.5m from Maidstone Borough Council.

To view the application click here and type in 20/500047/COUNTY.

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone

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