THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT hereby gives notice that on 2 July 2026, she has made the above-named Trunking Order, Detrunking Order and confirmed the above-named Side Roads Order.

1. The Trunking Order is made under sections 10 and 41 of the Highways Act 1980 and directs that the realigned north east facing slip roads to and from the A249 along the routes described in the Schedule to the Order shall become trunk roads from the date when National Highways notifies Kent County Council that the aforementioned trunk roads are open to traffic, and National Highways Limited, as a strategic highways company, will be the highway authority for those trunk roads.

2. The Detrunking Order is made under sections 10 and 12 of the Highways Act 1980 and directs that a section of the north east bound slip road to the A249 shall cease to be a trunk road and shall be classified as a classified road from the date when National Highways notifies Kent County Council that the aforesaid realigned highways to be trunked in paragraph 1 above are open to traffic and Kent County Council shall become the highway authority for it.

3. The Side Roads Order is an Order under Section 14 of the Highways Act 1980 which, as confirmed, authorises Kent County Council to stop up highways all on or in the vicinity of the route of the A249 Trunk Road in connection with the A249 Trunk Road Grovehurst Road and Swale Way junction improvement scheme.

COPIES of the Orders and the plans referred to therein may be inspected at the offices of National Highways, 5 Eclipse Park, Maidstone, Kent ME14 5LH; the offices of Swale Borough Council, Swale House, East Street, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3HT; and the offices of Kent County Council, Main Reception, Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ and may be viewed online at https://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/road-projects/in-progress-road-projects/a249-grovehurst-road-and-interchange-junction or on the Department for Transport’s website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/highways-act-inspectors-reports-and-decision-letters in due course.

ANY PERSON aggrieved by or desiring to question the validity of any provision within the Orders, on the ground that it is not within the powers of the above Act or that any requirement or regulation made has not been complied with, may, within 6 weeks of 15 July 2026, apply to the High Court for the suspension or quashing of the Orders or of any provision included.

Rachel Dominey, Department for Transport