CORE GROUP Members are representatives of the following Parish Councils and Associations (in alphabetical order):-
• Adisham Parish Council
• Ash Parish Council
• Bekesbourne with Patrixbourne Parish Council
• Ickham & Well Parish Council (Bramling)
• Littlebourne Parish Council
• Littlebourne & Stodmarsh Roads Community Association (LSRCA)
• Preston Parish Council
• Staple Parish Council (Shatterling)
• Wickhambreaux Parish Council
• Wingham Parish Council

FULL GROUP In addition to Core Group members, the Full Group members include:-
• District Councillor for Little Stour & Adisham Ward, Canterbury, currently Cllr Lee Castle
• District Councillor for Little Stour & Ashstone Ward, Dover, currently Cllr Martin Porter
• Kent County Councillor for Canterbury City South, currently Cllr Mel Dawkins
• Kent County Councillor for Canterbury South, currently Cllr Mike Sole
• Kent County Councillor for Sandwich, currently Cllr Sue Chandler
• MP for Canterbury/Whitstable, currently Rosie Duffield
• MP for Herne Bay & Sandwich, currently Roger Gale

MEETINGS are held every other month in January, March, May, July, September and November with Full Group Members attending every other meeting in January, May and September only. These are not public meetings. Other Councillors and/or interested parties are invited to attend according to the agenda.

A257 PLAN
The Group produced and launched the ‘A257 Plan’ in 2018 which documents issues surrounding congestion, accidents and pedestrians, providing fact-based information and proposals for improvements on the road to make it safer for all users.

LATEST UPDATES AND INFORMATION
MEETING UPDATE: Saturday 17 May FULL GROUP MEETING (With District & County Councillors and MPs)
Sir Roger Gale noted his letter to Cllr Baker at KCC requesting a meeting to discuss safety issues on the Roman Road through Shatterling to Wingham was lost in the process of purdah prior to the May elections so he did not meet him, but plans to deal directly with Highway officers. Sir Roger said he thought cameras were required to improve safety on this stretch.  The Group Administrator noted that prior to the elections Cllr Chandler had been in discussion with Cllr Baker about the use of Average Speed Cameras in conjunction with the K&M Safety Camera Partnership and Kent Police.  Cllr Porter noted the speed checks being carried out by PC Bowler, Kent Police, adding he and Cllr Bartlett plan to meet with new KCC Councillor, Peter Evans, to discuss local issues.
Both Cllr Sole (via email) and Cllr Porter noted that the KCC Cabinet Member for Highways had not yet been appointed at the time of the May meeting, so it was unclear whether any potential changes in policy will affect the A257.  The application for a development of 300+ homes on The Hill, Littlebourne, was noted in Cllr Castle's email to the Group, the CCC decision on which had been deferred pending further information.
Updates from Group and Village representatives were received from Ash, Bramling, Littlebourne, LSRCA, Wickhambreaux and Wingham:-  Ash noted the Goss Hall solar farm application on the Ash levels is still pending but shows an increase in vehicle movements on the A257 and a temporary reduction in speed limit is proposed; no improvement works have taken place on the Ash bypass despite previous promises; KCC have said they will be costing up proposed pedestrian warning signs.  Cllr Porter noted that the Chequer Lane and Agrii developments will bring a further 200+ vehicles onto local road networks, and increase the Ash population to close to 4000. Bramling noted that Speedwatch sessions continue. Littlebourne (via email) noted the 20mph speed limit change on side roads will be going ahead, but the timescale is not yet known; the second gateway at the Canterbury end has not progressed as they are still waiting for KCC to issue the permit. LSRCA  noted an increase in incidents at the Stodmarsh Road junction resulting from increased traffic; it was noted that there are no road closure signs at the Stodmarsh Road junction for the Fordwich main road closure. Wickhambreaux noted information supplied from the local flood group to Littlebourne PC for their objection to the proposed development on The Hill; all traffic from the proposed development would access/egress on The Hill, opposite the existing new development.  Wingham noted two recent planning applications: i) Land off Gobery Hill (17 dwellings) and ii) a retrospective application for a car park expansion at Wingham Wildlife Park; Wingham PC have asked DDC for clarification on why they had not yet published the decision to refuse permission for the Land off Gobery Hill application; Wingham Speedwatch is not currently running as the coordinator has resigned so volunteers are being sought.
Next Meeting Date: Saturday 19 July 2025 for the Core Traffic Group.

KCC'S VISION ZERO ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY Please visit the KCC VISION ZERO page to find out more.  An excerpt from the KCC page reads as follows:- There are on average just over 45 deaths on Kent’s roads each year. Kent County Council (KCC) is setting the target of zero, or as close as possible, fatalities and life changing injuries by 2050 with a 50% reduction by 2030 and a target of no more than 39 traffic fatalities by 2026. Vision Zero is not just about focussing on the date we achieve zero, but the recognition that deaths on the road are not an acceptable price to pay for mobility.  We will follow the Safe System Approach which understands that people make mistakes and aims to ensure these mistakes do not cause a death or a life-changing injury.

CONTACT THE A257 TRAFFIC GROUP
The Group Administrator is Kerry Coltham, the Wingham Parish Council Clerk. Please use the CONTACT PAGE for your enquiry