Kent plans to shut Hythe Street and Orchard Street from 29 October, under an order that can run to 31 May 2028, for Dartford's town centre rebuild.

Hythe Street and Orchard Street in Dartford town centre are due to close from Thursday 29 October. The order Kent County Council intends to make for the work runs until 31 May 2028.

The notice, dated 9 October, gives the reason as “regeneration and carriageway resurfacing works”. It says the closure applies “on or after 29th October 2026 until 31st May 2028 or until the works have been completed” (Kent County Council notice).

What closes

The notice sets out:

  • Hythe Street closed to through traffic from Spital Street to the A226 Westgate
  • no parking on Hythe Street between Suffolk Road and Kia Kebab
  • Orchard Street closed from Spital Street to Hythe Street, with no parking
  • the one-way suspended on both streets

The signed alternative for Hythe Street is the A226 Home Gardens and Suffolk Road. For Orchard Street it is Spital Street and Hythe Street.

The council says it “intends to make” the order. That means it has not yet been made, and the start date can still move. Like every order of this kind, the dates are “on or after”: the closure cannot start earlier than 29 October, but it can start later.

Why it runs so long

The work is Phase 3B of the Dartford Town Centre Regeneration project. That is the borough council’s £3.225m rebuild of Hythe Street, paid for from the Community Infrastructure Levy. We reported the plans in September, when they went to Cabinet.

The design in the Cabinet report of 24 September includes:

  • wider footways
  • a two-way cycle lane along the full length of the one-way street
  • granite paving and new asphalt to match Spital Street
  • a granite pedestrian priority area linking the Westgate site to Suffolk Road
  • new trees, benches, cycle stands and lighting

The same report set out the timetable. Some works could start in November 2026, subject to Cabinet agreeing a separate report on the Westgate development in October. Nothing would happen from mid-December to early January, because Kent bans works over Christmas. The main works were due to start in January 2027.

Westgate’s drainage also has to be laid along Hythe Street. The report said that is a separate contract, but the council wanted the two run together, and wanted to use the same closure to resurface the curved junction of Spital Street and Hythe Street.

The traffic order is the first sign of how long the road could be shut. The Cabinet report gave start dates but no finish date for the street works.

What to watch

Cabinet next meets on Thursday 29 October, the first day the closure can start. The council’s committee site says its agenda “will be displayed in the week before the meeting” (Cabinet, 29 October 2026). We will check it for the Westgate report.

Spital Street shows why the end date matters. Its resurfacing was priced at seven nights and ran ten weeks longer, after a concrete layer was found under the road. The council said the cost stayed within budget.

What it means for you

If you drive into the town centre. From 29 October, expect to use Home Gardens and Suffolk Road instead of Hythe Street. Our roadworks and travel page tracks what is shut each week.

If you park on either street. Parking on Orchard Street, and on Hythe Street between Suffolk Road and Kia Kebab, is suspended for the closure. Other town centre car parks are in our parking in Dartford guide.

If you run a business on Hythe Street. Access for deliveries is not covered in the notice. The Cabinet report promised businesses a say on the new loading and parking bays, so ask the council how deliveries will reach you during the works.

If you walk or cycle. The finished street is meant to form an east to west walking and cycling route, from Essex Road to Suffolk Road.

Sources