Second phase begins for Sheppey Light Railway Greenway project
Updated: 3 days ago
Volunteers from the Sheppey Light Railway Greenway project are on the move again.
Following the completion of phase one at Power Station Road at Sheerness East, they are now turning their attention to the second stage of their master plan to link Queenborough in the west to Leysdown in the east using the abandoned track of the old Sheppey Light Railway wherever possible.
The new section will run from the Harps Inn pub, where the original track crossed Minster Road, to Scocles Road and then along Blatcher Close and behind Harps Avenue before swinging down the side of a children's playing field and into Lapwing Close.
An advance party had already hacked back some of the undergrowth and this weekend 49 tonnes of road planings were laid to create the foundation of the track.
Project manager Paul Houghton of Astral Building Contractors at Blue Town and Cllr Mike Whiting managed to get the planings donated by Delta Ios Ltd, along with a digger, a dumper truck and a roller from Keaveney Plant Hire.
Duane Gibbons of DJG Groundworks and Landscaping operated the digger.
He said: “Paul asked me to get involved. It’s good for the community and makes footpaths accessible to people. Even my partner walks along the section by Power Station Road on her long treks.”
Group chairman Tim Foreman said: “We were told at the start that this would not be a quick job. But I am very pleased with the progress we are making. We were told it would gain momentum as it went along and that is exactly what is happening.”
During the weekend at least two residents turned up to offer their help.
Mr Foreman added: “Negotiations with landowners and developers along the rest of the route are also very advanced. It’s really exciting.”
Volunteer Lee Jarmain, who has been with the project from the start, said: “We had an awful lot of rubbish to clear from this site and had to remove a lot of soil to get down to the original level before we could start putting down the road planings for the foundation.
“But it has already opened up a very nice walkway. There will be more work needed over the coming weeks.”
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