DfT criticised for delaying Lower Thames Crossing decision

The Government has delayed making a decision on whether to go ahead with the Lower Thames Crossing until next year.

Transport secretary, Louise Haigh, was due to sign off a development consent order by last Friday (October 4), after receiving the planning inspectors’ recommendation three months ago.

However, she has issued a written statement announcing a new decision deadline of May 23, 2025, in order to “allow more time for the application to be considered further, including any decisions made as part of the spending review”.

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said it was deeply disappointed by the Government's decision to delay the development consent order for the Lower Thames Crossing.

The RHA has long campaigned for the project to be given the go ahead and says it would spark economic growth by increasing road capacity and reducing congestion in the region.

The proposed tunnel linking Kent and Essex would relieve pressure on the nearby Dartford Crossing which is one of the most congested roads in the country; it costs the economy more than £200m every year in lost productivity and freight delays.

The crossing would almost double capacity across the Thames east of London and would be expected to provide a boost of up to £40 billion to the UK economy.

Richard Smith, RHA managing director, said: “We’re disappointed that the Lower Thames Crossing hasn’t yet been given the green light.

“This is a transformative roads improvement project that could create a more resilient road network and unlock investment opportunities to boost UK business; it would reduce journey times and improve efficiencies for our sectors.

“Delays to this project undermines these goals and perpetuate the challenges faced by operators of lorries, coaches and vans.

“We urge the Government to give consent to this much-needed new route that would create jobs and prosperity and drive economic growth.”

More investment in roads and infrastructure is a key RHA priority with congestion costing the economy £30bn a year. Ahead of the Budget they urge the Chancellor to keep the £8b allocation of Network North road maintenance funding to improve roads.
It is also calling for the forthcoming Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) to feature a fresh pipeline of projects to kickstart a new period of job creation and economic growth.