Policy information sourced from the Dartford Town Centre Framework

Pedestrian & Cycling Actions

Create two-way cycle routes along Hythe Street, Lowfield Street, and Spital Street.

Enhance Hythe Street (south), reducing the vehicular carriageway to a single carriageway, widening the footway and creating the cycle route.

Enhance the pedestrian route through Suffolk Road and Bulls Head Yard by creating active frontages.

Improve pedestrian and cycle crossing at Hythe Street / Westgate Road/Home Gardens crossing.

Address other key barriers that limit permeability, such as the Station Mound Bridge, which is narrow and has stepped access, where opportunities arise.

Create a series of arrival points into the town centre that define an enhanced town centre edge which act as pedestrian gateways for the town:

  • Improve the cycle crossings at Mill Pond Road from Hythe Street and Overy Street
  • Investigate improvements to the pedestrian and cycle crossings at West Hill / Highfield Road, Spital Street / Westgate
  • Lowfield Street and Instone Road: Close the Instone Road underpass and create an arrival space to define the southern edge of the town centre. Ensure links into Central Park are retained.
  • East Hill and Overy Liberty: Create a defined eastern entrance to the town centre through enhancement of strategic open spaces adjacent to the river (St Saviours Way and Bridge House Gardens) which respect and facilitate views into and along the High Street.

Investigate options for providing an atgrade crossing near Hanau Bridge bus stops.

Improve the pedestrian and cycle crossing at Instone Road / Lowfield Street.

Improve the pedestrian crossing at Market Street / Lowfield St junction.

Ensure service vehicle access along the High Street does not allow for rat-running and that vehicle movement within the pedestrianized area is minimised.

  • West Hill and Spital Street: Utilise clear views into the town centre and an active corridor along Spital Street to create an enhanced street scene complemented by active leisure/ food and beverage and controlled parking
  • Hythe Street: Hythe Street will offer an arrival point for pedestrians coming from Prospect Place, the Northern Gateway and from Station Quarter. An enhanced crossing point and enhanced pedestrian friendly corridor toward the High Street will be activated by enhanced frontages and leisure uses.
  • Station Quarter and Pedestrian Bridge: Deliver a major gateway development at this primary pedestrian arrival point to the town centre, providing a clear choice of routes into the town centre via an enhanced pedestrian bridge route through Bulls Head Yard and towards Hythe Street via an enhanced crossing at Home Gardens
  • Enhance connections under the railway viaduct at Hythe Street, Overy Street and River Darent through public realm and wayfinding enhancements. This will create attractive, safe and legible routes into the town centre, and a ‘green’ river corridor.

For more information please see the Development Policies Plan