Canterbury City Council's draft budget sets aside £70,000 to buy a land train for Herne Bay. It lists about £3.6m for the town's schemes in 2027/28.
Herne Bay’s land train could become permanent. Canterbury City Council’s draft budget sets aside £70,000 in 2027/28 to buy one, after what the report calls a successful trial this summer.
It is one of five named Herne Bay schemes in next year’s capital programme. Together they come to about £3.6m, by our addition of the council’s figures.
Cabinet voted on Tuesday 3 November to put the budget out to consultation. Full council makes the final decision on 22 February 2027.
Where the money would go
| Scheme | 2026/27 | 2027/28 |
|---|---|---|
| King's Hall building improvements | £934,345 | £1,500,000 |
| Beach Street | £1,000,000 | £1,434,267 |
| Sea Street (new) | £195,000 | £370,000 |
| Herne Bay sub-structure maintenance | £35,300 | £250,000 |
| Land train (new) | None | £70,000 |
| Total | £2,164,645 | £3,624,267 |
The totals are ours; the report does not add these lines together. It says the extra King’s Hall money is to complete required infrastructure works to the building.
Councillor Paul Prentice told the meeting that the train could link with the station. He said that would give day trippers an attraction and a way into town in summer that does not rely on parking. Councillor Mel Dawkins, the Cabinet member for the environment, asked officers to look at how sustainable it would be and what fuel it would use.
The council’s town centre action plan already promised a report on the pilot by January 2027.
Sea Street tenants
Councillor Chris Cornell also closed off a petition about Sea Street at the same meeting. The petition asked the council to stop the eviction of small businesses there.
He said no tenant had been evicted. Their leases were short-term and were reaching their end dates, and the council had decided not to renew them. He said two tenants have signed new short-term leases until the end of March 2027. Others have told the council they are likely to leave in December.
He said the buildings are at the end of their useful life and would cost too much to repair. The site is identified for housing in the draft Local Plan. Cabinet treated the council’s response to the petition as concluded, and a summary goes to full council.
Other changes for Herne Bay
- Beach huts. A new rental fee of £1,800 is listed for East Cliff huts. The East Cliff site fee would rise 3% to £802.56.
- Market traders. A new £100 a year parking permit would cover the Market Street car park.
- Coastal security. The budget adds £8,000. Councillor Alan Baldock said this builds in the security staff who tackled anti-social behaviour on the coast last year.
- Toilets. Cabinet chose the East Cliff Promenade on 5 October for new modular public toilets, near the new beach huts.
Parking in Herne Bay fell 4.5% in the six months to September, compared with a year earlier, the council’s figures show.
What it means for you
- If you enjoyed the trial, nothing is confirmed yet. The money is a proposal in a draft budget, and no route, fare or start date has been published.
- If you want a say, the budget consultation runs on the council’s website from 11 November to 6 January.
- If you run a business in Sea Street, the council says officers are helping tenants with their plans.
Eighteen people from Herne Bay applied for the town’s new place panel, Councillor Cornell told the meeting. Interviews are due next week.
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