Lower Thames Crossing decision delayed by six months
General election forces change of date
It’s the scheme that keeps on giving… or something like that. The lengthy (to put it mildly) saga of the Lower Thames Crossing has kept many enthralled, or otherwise, for a very long time and now there’s another twist…
The final decision on whether the National Highways project goes ahead or not is to be delayed by six months courtesy of the forthcoming general election.
Already holding the record for the longest planning application on record, with 2,838 documents presented, the crossing had been due to be determined on Thursday, June 20, by the Secretary of State for Transport, but the date falls within the election campaign.
Last month, National Highways announced that the new date was to be Friday, October 4.
A statement read: “On Friday 24 May, the Secretary of State for Transport issued a Written Ministerial Statement setting a new deadline for the determination of the Lower Thames Crossing DCO application for 4 October 2024.
“This is due to the General Election and to allow appropriate time for any new Secretary of State to consider the application, however the Department for Transport will endeavour to issue the decision ahead of the new deadline.”
CPRE Kent has made substantial representation to the planning process and maintains its view that the adverse environmental and financial impacts of the proposed scheme outweigh any purported benefits.
To learn more about the Lower Thames Crossing scheme, click here