Sevenoaks councils prepare for procession and funeral

Both Sevenoaks District Council and Sevenoaks Town Council have been sending out notices alerting residents that they are anticipating an increase in the amount of traffic and possible disruption on Sevenoaks roads during a procession and funeral for twins Bill and Joe Smith on Friday 14 February.

A statement from Sevenoaks Town Council said: “ The Town Council can confirm that we are facilitating a burial at Greatness Cemetery on Friday 14 February 2020 and we anticipate a large number of mourners paying their respects. There may be some increased traffic in the surrounding areas, we hope that everyone will be understanding of this anticipated temporary disruption.

The District Council issued a similar statement which said: “On Friday 14 February, the funeral of twins Billy and Joe Smith will take place in Sevenoaks. There has been significant public and media interest in the funeral and there could be a large number of people paying their respects. There could be more traffic on the road and parking could be busier than usual in the lead up to and during the funeral. However, Sevenoaks town will remain open as usual.

“We are working with Kent Police and KCC Highways to make sure the funeral goes ahead respectfully while minimising the local impact, including keeping the traffic flowing and ensuring safety on the roads.

“We were given the following approximate timings late on Tuesday 11 February:

• We expect mourners to gather in Julians Way from 10am for the funeral procession.
• The funeral procession is likely to go via Oak Lane, Sevenoaks High Street and St Johns Hill to St John the Baptist Church where the funeral service will take place around 11.30am.
• Mourners will make their way to Sevenoaks Cemetery in Seal Road, via Bat and Ball, for 1 to 1.30pm.”

The district council’s community safety unit also sent a letter to local schools advising them that there could be traffic and parking disruption in the lead up to and during the funeral.

The council originally stated they were opening the Otford Road Depot the day before the funeral to assist with parking but there are now reports that this may not be possible.