Faversham Town Council is committed to ensuring that the voices of residents are heard as we look towards the future of our community. Over the next few months, we will be conducting a series of surveys to gather your insights on various topics that will help guide the town council’s decisions, particularly regarding local government reorganisation. Your feedback is essential in shaping the way services and resources are managed within our town.
This report analyses the data from the town council’s first survey, which was open from February to April 2025 and featured in Faversham Town Council’s Spring Newsletter. The survey “Shaping Our Community’s Future” asked a series of questions to help analyse the travel patterns among Faversham residents.
The primary focus is to determine whether residents are more likely to travel eastward toward Canterbury or westward within the county (e.g. Sittingbourne, Medway, Maidstone). The survey received 448 responses.
1. Healthcare Travel Patterns
- GP Surgery Location (Q1):
- 89% of respondents are registered with a GP in Faversham.
- Only 4.25% use a surgery in Sittingbourne (west).
- Just 1.34% use a surgery in Whitstable (east).
- Conclusion: Residents overwhelmingly use local healthcare; limited routine east- or west-bound travel for GP services.
- Hospital Attendance (Q2):
- 52.7% of respondents attended Kent and Canterbury Hospital (east).
- 13.5% attended William Harvey Hospital in Ashford (east).
- Only 4.0% went to Medway Hospital and 1.9% to Maidstone (both west).
- Conclusion: There is a significant tendency to travel eastwards for hospital services, especially to Canterbury.
2. Work and Education Travel Patterns
- School Attendance (Q4):
- 64.2% of children attend school in Faversham.
- 23.4% attend school in Canterbury.
- 8.5% in Sittingbourne, with negligible numbers in other westward towns.
- Conclusion: Canterbury is a more common school destination than Sittingbourne, suggesting an eastward skew.
- Work Locations (Q3):
- While specific figures are not shown, anecdotal data suggests a wide range of workplace locations including home-based working.
- Further detail needed to draw robust conclusions, though the pattern may reflect similar travel habits as healthcare and education.
3. Retail and Leisure Travel Patterns
- Shopping Habits (Q5):
- 81.8% shop in Canterbury, compared with 17.3% in Sittingbourne.
- Ashford (12.8%), Bluewater (17.3%), and others trail behind.
- Conclusion: Canterbury is by far the dominant secondary retail centre after Faversham itself.
- Leisure Activities (Q6):
- 16.2% visit Canterbury for leisure, compared to 4.3% for Sittingbourne.
- Faversham dominates at 70.3%, followed by Canterbury.
- Conclusion: When travelling out of town for leisure, residents favour Canterbury.
4. General Time Spent Outside Faversham (Q7)
A total of 322 residents responded to this question, offering open-ended answers which have been analysed to determine the geographic direction of travel—particularly focusing on whether residents tend to go east or west.
Directional Summary
| Direction | Common Destinations | Approx. Frequency | Observation |
| East | Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Thanet, Margate | Very High (200+ mentions) | Dominant direction of travel |
| West | Sittingbourne, Medway, Maidstone | Low (15–20 mentions total) | Secondary/occasional use |
| North/London | London, Bexley, Rochester | Moderate | Work/family connections |
| South | Ashford, Folkestone | Some (15–20 mentions) | Less than east, more than west |
Summary & Conclusion
The data strongly indicates that Faversham residents are more inclined to travel eastward, particularly to Canterbury, for:
- Hospital appointments
- Secondary education
- Shopping
- Leisure activities
By contrast, travel westward (e.g. to Sittingbourne, Medway, or Maidstone) is significantly less frequent across nearly all categories.
Implications
- Transport planning and infrastructure investment should prioritise links between Faversham and Canterbury.
- Service coordination (eg local government reorganisation) should consider Faversham’s eastward alignment.
Next Survey
Faversham Town Council’s second survey will ask residents how important various services and community assets in Faversham are to them. This will be sent to all residents in the Summer Newsletter, but will also be available to complete online.
Town Clerk
May 2025
This survey is now closed, results will be posted soon.
Town Council is committed to ensuring that the voices of residents are heard as we look towards the future of our community. Over the next few months, we will be conducting a series of surveys to gather your insights on various topics that will help guide the town council’s future decisions. Your feedback is essential in shaping the way services and resources are managed within our town.
This survey is designed for residents of the four wards served by Faversham Town Council: Abbey, Priory, St Ann’s, and Watling. We appreciate your time in completing this survey, as your input will directly influence decisions that impact our shared future.
Paper copies will be available in our forthcoming newsletter, being delivered to all properties at the beginning of March.
The survey closes 30th April 2025. Thank you for your participation!
