Canterbury City Council in partnership with The Crab and Winkle Line Trust will be holding an exhibition of updated plans for constructing the path along the embankment between Clare Road and Station Road in Whitstable.  We will also be showing plans for new bridges over Teynham Road and Old Bridge Road.  Come to St. Peter’s Hall, 154 Cromwell Road, Whitstable on Saturday 21^st September between 11am and 5pm to find out more and discuss your views.

Panning permission is in place for the paths.  A variation is planned to replace the previously proposed lamp columns with low level lighting.  The City Council is currently seeking funding for the paths.

Separate funding and planning permission is required for the bridges.  The new bridge over Teynham Road is similar in appearance to the original bridge that carried the world’s first regular passenger steam railway.  A second bridge over Old Bridge Road and the present-day railway will join to the current Crab and Winkle Way giving a motor traffic free route through the urban area of Whitstable and Tankerton.  The finished path will be accessible and lit on winter evenings with wildlife friendly and non-intrusive lighting.

The proposed bridges are lower than previous designs that were given planning permission in 2011.

Details of the landscaping of the paths, screening and lighting will be on display at the exhibition with officers on hand to discuss the details.

On Saturday 25th May we were delighted to welcome Rosie Duffield MP to visit the Tyler Hill Tunnel in Canterbury.  Along with Rosie we also had local councillors from Canterbury City Council; Alan Baldock (Leader), Mike Sole (Deputy Loader), Mel Dawkins (St Stephen’s) and Paul Prentice (Barton). From the university of Kent at Canterbury we were joined by Dr Catharine Morris – sustainability manager.

The tunnel is Grade II* Listed.  It is 828 yards (757 metres) long and was opened on May 3rd 1830.  It was the first railway tunnel with a regular passenger service – in the world.

The tunnel was mostly filled in after part of it collapsed in the 1970s.  There is now 80 metres still accessible from the South Portal.

Canterbury City Council Leader – Alan Baldock – Remembers going in the tunnel when he attended the Archbishop’s School.

Robin Townsend (Trustee) with Canterbury City Council Deputy Leader – Mike Sole. 

Dr Catharine Morris – Sustainability Manager at The University of Kent and Canterbury.  The University own the Northern portion of the tunnel and the trackbed to Tyler Hill Road.

Tunnel owner (South Portal) and Crab and Winkle Line Trust Patron – Paul Roberts. 

Trustee Robin Townsend using four candles (pun intended) to demonstrate that the tunnel was dug with hand tools by candle light.

The trusts long term aim is to re-open the tunnel as part of the Crab and Winkle Way for walking and cycling between Canterbury and Whitstable.  As a former railway it is the flattest and shortest route.  The much loved Crab and Winkle Way would be more accessible than ever and its position strengthened as a genuine and attractive alternative to driving for many local journeys.

Thank you to The Archbishop’s School for giving us access through their site.  Kent Bat Group for allowing us access to the tunnel, home to bats, that are a protected species.  Finally, thank you to Paul Roberts, Owner of the Tunnel and Patron of the Crab and Winkle Line Trust for restoration and preservation of the tunnel as well as opening it up for visits such as this.

£450 was raised on the day which will be divided between the Kent Bat Group, The Archbishops School and the Crab and Winkle line trust.

The path extension in Whitstable has been completed and is already proving to be popular.

Bridge at the end of the new path leading towards Old Bridge Road.

Some of the newly planted trees.

Path zig zags down the grade of the embankment towards Old Bridge Road entrance.

A number of bat boxes have been installed.

Some more planting.

View north into the extension from the existing Invicta Way section of the Crab and Winkle at Ivy House Road.

Against all odds, construction of the paths for the Crab and Winkle Way extension in Whitstable started today.  Canterbury City Council transport team has engaged contractors to complete the section of path at the end of the Invicta Way towards Old Bridge Road.

Final approval for variations on plans to build the paths required for the Crab and Winkle walking and cycling path extension in Whitstable will be sought at a planning meeting early in the new year.

The plans can be found and comments can be made by searching for 19/01145 at:
https://www.canterbury.gov.uk/planningsearch

The variations are concerning:
- Bird and bat box locations
- Bin and signs locations
- Embankment details
- Landscaping plans
- Lighting plans

We are hoping that these can all be approved at a January planning meeting so that work on the paths can commence shortly afterwards. Every supporting comment will help increase the chances of this final approval.

Comments must be received by 6th December 2019

The Trust and Canterbury City Council are pressing ahead with plans to extend the path in Whitstable. We hope to start work on a small section of the path that will extend the Invicta Way to Old Bridge Road. Section 106 developer contribution money is already in place for this and we hope work will start in the next six months. Despite this only being a short section the plans we have are for all the paths down to The Sidings and Tower Parade. This is so that we can move quickly to get more built when extra funds become available. The Bridges are under separate planning that will be re-applied for soon.

There are currently two items on the Canterbury City Council planning portal.

CA/19/01145 Variation of Conditions, after suggestions made at the consultation a number of changes have been made. This application covers those changes.
https://publicaccess.canterbury.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=_CANTE_DCAPR_123474

CA//19/01194 Discharge of Conditions, the planning we were granted had a number of conditions and this is an application to have some of those conditions discharged due to their fulfilment.
https://publicaccess.canterbury.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=_CANTE_DCAPR_123551

We have also published a report about or Public Consultation which was held last year. It can be viewed at http://crabandwinkle.org/extension-documents/

In May 2019, the Trust hosted a visit inside the Tyler Hill Tunnel at the south portal.  This was made possible by the kind permission of the owner, Paul Roberts.  He has spent considerable time and money, faithfully restoring the portal, as well as protecting it from vandalism.  We also required permission from Kent Bat Group’s Shirley Thompson.  This is because the tunnel is now home to bats, so access requires permission and guidance from someone with a Bat License.  We also had permission from the Archbishop’s school for access.

If you would like to visit the tunnel in the future then we give members preference, you can join here http://crabandwinkle.org/join-form/.  Or Keep an eye out on or Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfTheCrabAndWinkleLine/ but we may not always advertise there if enough members take up the chance.

Some pictures from the visit.

Trustee and Tunnel Officer, John Burden, Introducing the Tunnel and other Speakers to the Visitors.

Trust Archivist, Jonathan Baker, explaining some of the History of the Tunnel

Shirley Thompson talking about the Bats that now live in the Tunnel.

Visitors Entering the Tunnel.

A vent brick placed for bats.  Although they tend to favour the gaps that have formed as the mortar around the existing bricks has decayed.

Trust Secretary Robin Townsend showing off our plans to extend the current Foot Cycle path that runs along the old line.

Trust Chair, William Leetham, showing the Beverley Arch to visitors.

The Crab and Winkle Line Trust and Local Residents carried out a clear-up of the old railway embankment in Whitstable on the weekend of 2nd March 2019. About 20 bags of rubbish, a shopping trolley and tyre. Thank you to all involved.