Flyover makes way for bus station

The flyover site was selected from seven potential locations

A plan to demolish a Kent town's flyover has been approved, with a new £5m bus station set to replace it.

The work in Chatham will also clear the way for the multi-million pound expansion of the Pentagon shopping centre to be moved ahead.

Medway Council admitted the removal of the Sir John Hawkins flyover in late 2008 would "inevitably cause disruption and could affect trade and transport".

But it added that the end result would make it "a price worth paying".

The flyover was originally closed to traffic in September 2006 when Chatham's old one-way ring road became a two-way system.

But some residents complained of increased congestion and businesses of lost trade.

Regeneration programme

The flyover was temporarily reopened three months ago, but the council suggested it had brought "little or no overall benefit to traffic flow".

Councillor Rodney Chambers, leader of the council, said its demolition was now "unavoidable".

On Tuesday, a location centred on Sir John Hawkins Way and Globe Lane was approved for the new bus station.

Mr Chambers said: "It will replace the one currently at the Pentagon, which must be one of the worst bus station environments in Britain.

"The new bus station is a key element of the vastly improved public transport system that Medway will need as the regeneration programme gathers pace."

The council is also planning new apartments, offices, retail outlets, cafes, restaurants, car parks and a "major new arts and entertainment venue" in Chatham.