Dartford MP urges council to bid for cash to fix road devastated by landslip
The A226 Galley Hill chalk cliff collapsed in April 2023
Last updated 21st Oct 2025
A Kent MP has urged Kent County Council (KCC) to move with haste to access funding for a road devastated in a landslip.
Residents and motorists in Swanscombe have endured misery since the A226 Galley Hill Road chalk cliff collapsed in April 2023.
Jim Dickson, the MP for Dartford, has urged Kent County County (KCC) to get ready to make a bid from the newly-created Transport Structures Fund (TSF), which was set up after the roads minister Lillian Greenwood visited the site recently.
The TSF is worth £1bn and Mr Dickson also urged the Department for Transport (DfT) to set up the bidding process as quickly as possible.
KCC, as the highways authority in Kent, has taken over the modelling of the potential solutions. Thames Water which has piping in the area is a partner in the remedial process.
Mr Dickson added: “Before Lillian Greenwood visited the site and made the funding available as a result, there was no funding for KCC or Thames Water to fix it.
“I know the work is ongoing and I’m certainly not saying anyone is dragging their feet but we do need to get on with it and not miss out on this opportunity.
“KCC needs to seize the opportunity and the DfT needs to set up the bidding process in order for the money to be made available.”
The two options available to fix the problem will be to repair and strengthen the cliff face or build a bridge over the exisiting road site.
The cost implications are confidential but observers put a rough estimate of £50m to carry out the work.
Making a pitch for TSF cash during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Dickson told the House of Commons: “Never is this more clearly needed than the A226 Galley Hill Road in Swanscombe in my constituency.”
On April 10 2023, a bank holiday Monday, tonnes and tonnes of chalk sheared away from the cliff face into buildings owned by the demolition firm Lancebox Limited.
Announcing the fund in June, the government said: “The (TSF) will inject cash into repairing run down bridges, decaying flyovers and worn out tunnels across Britain, and ensure other transport infrastructure is both more resilient to extreme weather events and to the demands of modern transport – making everyday journeys safer, smoother and more dependable.”
Since the closure of the A226, local people have reported residential streets becoming main roads to support traffic with nowhere else to go or are avoiding lengthy diversions.
Reform UK county councillor Thomas Mallon highlighted the issues faced by people living in Stanhope Road where vehicles routinely mount pavements to avoid oncoming traffic at pinch points.
Peter Osborne, KCC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We welcome MP Jim Dickson’s determination to see Galley Hill Road restored and reopened.
‘At present, the project has no funding, so we are preparing a business case to apply for support from any available source.
While we’re hopeful about the newly announced funding, we can’t rely solely on this initiative, and we are continuing to explore all possible options in order to try to move the project forward.”