Notification of gas network upgrade on A264 Langton Road, Tunbridge Wells

We've just received notification from SGN that they have agreed a schedule of works with KCC, which will affect traffic flow on and around the A264 Langton Road from today,1st September, for 15 weeks. You can read further information from SGN below, and if you have any questions or concerns, please see their website

Our project involves the essential replacement of old metal gas mains with new plastic pipe. Our contractor, Medway Civils & Utilities will undertake this work on our behalf. This safety-critical project needs to go ahead, rather than wait until the coronavirus pandemic passes, to ensure your local community continues to receive a safe and reliable gas supply.

In consultation with Kent County Council, we’ll start our project in Hither Chantlers on Tuesday 1 September. Over the coming 15 weeks, we will be replacing our gas pipe in three phases as follows;

Phase one – lasting approximately three weeks

Our engineers will begin working outside No.9 Hither Chantlers and progress south to where the road loops round. We will be working along the footpath and traffic flow will be maintained in both directions. We will need to return to Hither Chantlers on phase three of our project to complete the final upgrades.

Phase two – lasting approximately seven weeks

On Monday 21 September, we’ll progress onto the A264 Langton Road, working from the junction of Dornden Drive and progressing towards Broom Lane. For everyone’s safety, we’ll need to install temporary multi-way lights around our area. We’ll manually control our traffic lights while we’re working to keep traffic flowing along the A264. We’ll operate these lights Monday to Saturday between 7am and 7pm. The traffic lights will move with us as we progress towards Broom Lane. To complete our project as quickly as possible, from Monday 19 October we’ll be working simultaneously at Holmwood House School for approximately two weeks.

Phase three – lasting approximately five weeks

On Monday 9 November, our engineers will return to Hither Chantlers for the final phase of our project. We will continue working along the footpath and traffic flow will be maintained in both directions. We will be working extended hours from 7am-7pm Monday to Friday and working 8am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday to complete the work as quickly as possible.

We’re working closely with the UK Government and public health bodies to make sure we work in line with expert advice during the pandemic. We have extra safety precautions in place to protect our colleagues and our communities from catching or spreading the virus as we carry out our safety-critical project. There’s more information about our coronavirus response on our website: sgn.co.uk/coronavirus

We’re writing to residents and other local stakeholders to make them aware of our project and explain the details of our work. We understand that people can get frustrated by roadworks. However, the new plastic pipe has a minimum lifespan of 80 years. This means that when the work is complete, residents and businesses will continue to enjoy the benefits of a safe and reliable gas supply for years to come.