Page 48 - KPRM 2019

Kent County Council, Medway Council & Kent’s District Council Commentary
Infrastructure and Regeneration
Continued
Transportation
Local Growth Fund
In 2014, the government announced planned investment
of at least £12bn nationally to promote growth in local economies through a series of ‘Growth Deals’ to operate over six years from 2015/16. Known as Local Growth Funding (LGF) it would finance infrastructure and skills schemes to unlock housing growth and encourage job creation.
In March 2016, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced Round Three of Local Growth Funding (LGF3), worth £1.8b across England. The Government stipulated that the LGF3 funding would be allocated to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) through a competitive bidding process. Of this South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) received £102m to help create jobs, support businesses and create new growth opportunities.
Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has called for all LEPs to ensure that any LGF underspend is re-invested in the most effective way. In response, SELEP devised the LGF3b process, whereby a pipeline of schemes was agreed to be funded as and when LGF underspend is available. For Kent, the following schemes will now be delivered:
•Thanet Parkway Railway Station
•M2 Junction 5, Stockbury
•Kent and Medway Medical School, Canterbury
Kent County Council is responsible for the programme management of all 31 Local Growth Fund projects in Kent. There are, however, specific projects where third-party organisations are responsible for delivery.
Rail Projects
Journey Time Improvement (JTI) scheme
Phase 1 of this scheme to improve the journey time between Ashford and Canterbury West is now completed. Following successful testing, the journey time benefits from this phase are now being enjoyed by passengers and are expected
to be formally included in the December 2019 timetable. Design work is now underway for Phase 2 between Canterbury West and Ramsgate, with benefits due to be delivered by Dec 2021. This scheme will support economic growth in Thanet and is essential to support the delivery of the new Thanet Parkway station.
The Ashford Spurs Project
The main part of this project is now completed, with the delivery of the upgraded signalling system on the ‘Spurs’ which link Ashford International Station with High Speed One and officially opened by the Secretary of State for Transport in April 2018. The Local Growth Fund via SELEP is the primary source of funding and for the final work to deliver resolution of technical problems which have prevented the new Eurostar trains from serving Ashford International. This is expected to be completed by the end of 2019 after which full Eurostar services to Paris and Brussels will be restored. Kent County Council works in close partnership with Eurostar
and has submitted a business case for an enhancement to the level of the Ashford – Brussels service once the Ashford Spurs project is completed.
Kent Route Study
Kent County Council has responded to the consultation on the five yearly Kent Route Study undertaken by Network Rail. It sets out a range of options for funders for infrastructure enhancements required on Kent’s rail network between 2019 and 2024. This study also recognised the significant increase in demand at Ebbsfleet station from planned housing growth in Ebbsfleet Garden City.
South Eastern New Rail Franchise
Kent County Council responded to the Department for Transport’s consultation on the new South Eastern franchise for the Kent and Medway area. This has again been delayed with the existing operator granted an award to continue operating the franchise until April 2020. The county
council included a wide-ranging list of proposed service enhancements for a new franchise. This included responses
from the Kent & Medway Economic Partnership to reflect business and further education interests in the county.
Thameslink
Two new services have been scheduled to serve Kent and Medway. One commenced in May 2018 and has replaced the existing Southeastern service between Rainham/ Gillingham and London. The other was due to commence in December 2019 but the Department for Transport has now confirmed that this new service will be deferred for a fourth time to a future unknown date. This additional route links Maidstone East, West Malling (for Kings Hill), Borough Green & Wrotham, Otford and Swanley with London Bridge and other City stations, then north to Cambridge.
Ebbsfleet Garden City
The existing High Speed One from Ebbsfleet cannot meet the projected demand from the planned housing growth in the new garden city. All peak-time high speed services via Ebbsfleet are at capacity and it is often impossible to get a seat in off- peak periods. This is a major issue to be addressed by other rail infrastructure. The current level of service, itself constrained by the terminal capacity for High Speed One at St Pancras, will not meet projected population growth in Ebbsfleet.
Crossrail Extension
The planned opening of Crossrail 1 (Elizabeth Line) to
Abbey Wood has been postponed until at least 2021. Local authorities are jointly considering, with Transport for London and the Greater London Authority, the options for a future extension of Crossrail to Ebbsfleet. The outline business case for this concept was presented to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in December 2018. Funding of £4.85m has been offered by Government towards the further development of this business case. If there were government approval for a future extension to Crossrail 1 this would be key to delivering additional rail capacity required for Ebbsfleet Garden City and north-west Kent.
Sandwich Station
Kent County Council is the lead authority for the Sandwich Station capacity upgrade project with funding now secured. Network Rail will deliver the project with two platform extensions, new footbridge, access path and steps. This creates additional capacity for rail travellers to The Open in July 2020 and all future golf events at Sandwich.
46 Kent Property Market Report 2019