Lower Thames Crossing: rallying call to take part in next phase of consultation

The next phase of consultation on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing begins this month.
Highways England is launching the four-week consultation on proposed design refinements to the planned road on Tuesday, July 14. It comes after 2018’s statutory consultation in 2018 and the supplementary consultation, which was completed this year.
From July 14, we will all be able to comment on the proposed refinements, which include:

• Minor refinements to elements of the highways design
• Updated paths for walkers, cyclists and horse riders
• Proposals for redirecting and upgrading utilities
• More detailed landscaping proposals
• Further developed ecological mitigation measures

The consultation is a digital-first event, meaning that from July 14 to Wednesday, August 12, all materials, including an online feedback form, will be accessible here
You can also order printed copies of the consultation materials by emailing info@lowerthamescrossing.co.uk
The digital-first approach reflects social-distancing restrictions imposed by the government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Highways England says it is, though, setting up additional measures to ensure the public can engage in the consultation. These include:

• Leaflets distributed to 135,000 properties within two kilometres of the route, giving residents notice of the consultation
• From now, people can register their interest in the consultation and order hard copies of the consultation packs to arrive from the July 14 launch
• Extensive media and social-media campaigns to raise awareness of the consultation

Highways England says that during the consultation period, July 14-August 12, it will provide:

• Freephone consultation and call-back service for people to find out more and give their feedback on the proposals
• Online public information exhibition, including videos, displays and documents library
• Webinars to explain the key changes open to all members of the public
• Updated and newly-interactive website
• Social-media updates

Alex Hills, CPRE Kent’s Gravesham district chairman, said: “This could be the last consultation before a planning application is put in, so it is important that as many people as possible take part in this very short consultation.
“CPRE Kent is calling on people and organisations to order hard copies of the consultation for those who are not comfortable doing everything online.”

For more on the Lower Thames Crossing, see here and here

Friday, July 3, 2020

• A number of important documents have yet to emerge. For example, a rigorous transport plan and a finalised air-quality assessment. The latter is critical given that allocations at Teynham will feed extra traffic into AQMAs.
• There seems to be no coherent plan for infrastructure delivery – a key component of the plan given the allocations being proposed near the already crowded Junction 7.
• There seems to have been little or no cooperation with neighbouring boroughs or even parish councils within Swale itself.

The removal of a second consultation might have been understandable if this final version of the plan were similar to that being talked about at the beginning of the consultation process. It is, however, radically different in the following ways:

• There has been a major shift in the balance of housing allocations, away from the west of the borough over to the east, especially around the historic town of Faversham. This is a move that raises many concerns.
• A new large allocation, with accompanying A2 bypass, has appeared around Teynham and Lynsted, to which we are objecting.
• Housing allocations in the AONB around Neames Forstal that were judged “unsuitable” by the council’s own officers have now appeared as part of the housing numbers.
• Most of the housing allocations being proposed are on greenfield sites, many of them on Grade 1 agricultural land – a point to which we are strongly objecting.

Concerns about the rush to submit the plan

The haste with which the plan is being prepared is especially worrying given the concentration of housing in Faversham. If the town is to take a large amount of new housing, it is imperative that the policies concerning the area are carefully worked out to preserve, as far as possible, the unique nature of the town. The rush to submit the plan is likely to prove detrimental.

As Swale does not have a five-year land housing supply, it is open to speculative development proposals, many of which would run counter to the ideas contained in the current plan. Some are already appearing. This is a common situation, and one that, doubtless, is a reason behind Swale’s haste.

Our overriding fear, however, is that this emphasis on haste is ultimately going to prove counterproductive. This is because it is our view that the plan, in its current form, is unlikely to pass independent examination. We are urging Swale to listen to and act upon the comments being made about the plan and to return the plan to the council with appropriate modifications before submitting it to the Secretary of State.

Essentially, this means treating the current consultation not as the final one but as the ‘lost’ second consultation.

The consultation ends on Friday 30 April and we strongly urge residents to make their opinions known if they have not already done so.

Further information

• Read more on the Swale Local Plan
• Read CPRE Kent’s detailed comments on the plan
• View the council’s consultation document