Those opposed to the closure of one arm of a key junction have been offered a glimmer of hope.

Kent County Council (KCC) closed Cranborne Avenue at its junction with the Wheatsheaf pub in Maidstone two years ago as part of a plan to reduce congestion on the A229 Loose Road and the A274 Sutton Road.

The closure was supposed to be the first stage of a massive reconfiguration of the junction, which included the demolition of the Wheatsheaf pub which KCC had purchased from its former owner.

But in fact, the closure of Cranborne Avenue has been the only thing that has happened, and the council is now talking of a “do-minimum” approach.

KCC has claimed the closure has improved traffic flow, but residents on the Shepway side of the road have been vociferous in their opposition, saying it has lengthened their journeys and put lives at risk by forcing them to join the main Loose Road at Plains Avenue without the protection of traffic lights to help them cross four lanes of busy carriageway.

MP Helen Grant (Con) arranged a “roundtable” meeting with all interested parties last month, including residents, the North Loose Residents Association, and Neil Baker, the KCC cabinet member with responsibility for highways. MP Helen Whately (Con) was there too.

The meeting was held in the MP’s constituency office in Week Street, Maidstone, and came after Loose Road resident Michelle James approached Mrs Grant at one of her constituency surgeries.

Afterwards, the MP’s team issued a statement saying: “KCC has now agreed to review the closure of Cranborne Avenue, instead of declaring it a permanent change, and will be reporting back at a second meeting in September on their broader plans to tackle congestion in the locality.

Mrs Grant said: “Congestion on Loose Road is one of the primary issues concerning constituents in south Maidstone. The closure of Cranborne Avenue exacerbates the existing bottleneck, while simultaneously making the junction more dangerous.”

The MP said that Cllr Baker had been “receptive” to local residents’ concerns and conceded that “if there was a groundswell of opinion going forward, this could be one of the factors that might encourage KCC to re-consider their stance on Cranborne Avenue”.

However, Cllr Baker said there would need to be a more significant period of time to pass for data monitoring, in order to sufficiently assess the impact of the closure.

After the meeting, Mrs James said: “It seemed like Cllr Baker took our comments on board. He said he would look into it and give us an answer in September.

“To be honest, I don’t think KCC is going to change its mind; I’d be surprised if it does.

“But at least everybody finally got the chance to air their views and be listened too.”

She added: “Both the MPs were insistent on telling Cllr Baker that he had to look at it again because of the safety issue.”

Mrs James had gathered evidence that there had been 22 crashes in total between the junctions of Armstrong Road and The Wheatsheaf since March 2022.

She said: “Thanks to Helen Grant, the people who make the decisions are now being held accountable, and we await their decision on making the Loose Road and surrounding area safer.”

A KCC spokesman said: “Cranborne Avenue has been permanently closed to traffic at the junction with the A229 since September 2023, which followed an 18-month experimental period and consultation with members of the public.

“As with any major road changes, we remain committed to monitoring the area closely to ensure the benefits of the additional capacity unlocked by this closure continue to be realised.

“We recognise the sense of feeling in the community and a formal review of the current layout will take place later this year, the results of which will be considered by the cabinet member, Cllr Baker.”