A senior Kent county councillor has admitted the future of a major road that partially collapsed nearly three years ago rests “in the lap of the gods” unless ministers approve a bid for funding to pay for repairs that could cost up to £50m.
Kent County Council intends to apply for a share of a £1bn government pot, first unveiled in 2024, to fund the rebuild of the A226 Galley Hill Road in Swanscombe. The road has been out of action since giving way in 2023, with no clear route to reopening until now.
What is being proposed for Galley Hill Road
Engineers are weighing several options for the site, among them building a bridge over the affected section or reinforcing the chalk on which the original road was laid. The work is expected to run into tens of millions of pounds, with estimates reaching as high as £50m.
The Department for Transport has begun taking applications for the fund and has appointed consultants to assist councils ahead of an August deadline. Decisions on which schemes will receive money are due by the end of November, with successful projects expected to be completed by March 2030.
Peter Osborne, KCC’s cabinet member for highways, told the BBC the authority had little choice but to press ahead. “I’m praying that we are going to get the money from the government’s Structures Fund,” he said, “but if we don’t then it’s in the lap of the gods.” The project, he added, “just needs to be done”, and the council would have to “find the money somehow”.
Why local frustration is mounting
For residents and businesses in Swanscombe, the closure has become a daily inconvenience that shows little sign of easing. Jenny Yusufoglu, who runs a dry-cleaning shop on the High Street, said the disruption was being felt across an area where new housing continued to bring more people in. “It’s getting harder and harder for people to get their children to school,” she said.
Toby Howe, the council’s strategic resilience manager for highways and transportation, described the impact on the community as “horrendous” and said reopening the route was “really critical”. A council spokesperson urged local MPs to “use their influence in government” to back the bid.
Political pressure on the bid
Jim Dickson, the Labour MP for Dartford, said Swanscombe had already been left waiting “more than three years for money to be on the table”. The onus, he argued, was now on the county council to submit a strong application. “It’s up to Kent County Council to get a good bid into government to make sure that we can find the money, end the chaos and actually get work underway,” he said.
With the August deadline approaching and a decision not expected until late autumn, residents face several more months of uncertainty before they learn whether one of Kent’s longest-running road closures is finally on course to be resolved.
