Work on a multi-million-pound revamp of a busy junction is set to get under way after months of delays.

The £5.8 million upgrade of the Key Street roundabout in Bobbing, near Sittingbourne, was due to start in the summer but was pushed back due to a dormouse nest being discovered.

But today Kent County Council, which is overseeing the scheme, has announced work will start in January.

From Monday, January 13, the roundabout, which is used by thousands of drivers daily heading in and out of the town towards Sheppey, Maidstone and Medway, will be drastically changed.

This includes closing the A249 Maidstone-bound entry slip lane which is used by more than 7,300 vehicles every day.

The new layout will see motorists drive down Chestnut Street where there will be a new roundabout just before the Tudor Rose pub and a new link road will connect to the A249.

The Chestnut Street arm of the Key Street roundabout will be expanded to include an extra lane.

There will also be off-road parallel parking spaces and a new toucan crossing.

Meanwhile, the current slip road will be landscaped.

Works will begin on the north-west side of the junction, starting with improvements to the pedestrian access, installing drainage and undertaking necessary utility service diversions.

KCC expects the project to be completed next winter (2025-2026).

Jackson Civil Engineering has been awarded the contract to do the work.

It has already been working with the authority on the £32.7m Grovehurst roundabout works near Iwade and Kemsley.

But that scheme has also been hit by delays.

Together the two schemes are part of the county council’s bid to improve the A249 road network as new homes are built in the area.

Swale council’s local plan, adopted in 2017, outlined that it will need to provide more than 13,000 homes across the borough, 7,899 of which will be built in the “vicinity of the schemes”, KCC said.

The new roundabout on Chestnut Street is part of the Wises Lane development in Borden and will act as a link to almost 600 new-builds, a Sittingbourne Rugby Club’s new ground and a new primary school.

Read more: New footage shows road network changes at Chestnut Street from the air

Another 50 homes at Manor Farm, Borden, will also have access to Chestnut Street via a link road which will be built by Balmoral Land.

The road is currently closed for work with an expected reopening on Friday, December 4.

Also included in the revamp are new toucan crossings in Sheppey Way, near the Texaco petrol station in Key Street and in Keycol Hill.

There will be new parking spaces in Bobbing Hill and off-road parallel parking in Chestnut Street.

KCC says reducing the number of arms of the roundabout will increase its capacity, improve safety and ease congestion.

Cllr Neil Baker (Con), cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The Key Street Junction project is part of our ambition to put infrastructure in place first before planned housing.

“We are doing all we can to keep disruption to a minimum, especially as we appreciate just how much the Sittingbourne area has been impacted by work to and under the roads recently.

“Once these works are complete, extra capacity on the area’s roads will be unlocked, ready for the extra homes planned for the area.”

KCC and Jackson are inviting people to Bobbing Village Hall on Wednesday, December 11 at 6pm to find out more about the project and ask any questions.

If people would like to attend email KeyStreet@jackson-civils.co.uk.