The destiny of Britain’s greatest street scheme hangs within the steadiness after ministers delayed giving it the go forward – regardless of over £800m being spent on it so far.
The federal government mentioned it wanted extra time to think about whether or not to grant a growth order for The Decrease Thames Crossing (LTC), together with reviewing its price.
The 14 mile venture was first proposed in 2009, and would join Kent and Essex by way of a street and tunnel beneath the River Thames to scale back congestion.
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Nationwide Highways revealed in a Freedom of Info (FoI) request earlier this 12 months that £295m has been spent on the applying course of for the LTC. General spending, together with technical surveys and land buying prices, has surpassed £800m – all earlier than a spade has hit the bottom.
As identified by pro-growth marketing campaign group Britain Remade, the planning payment alone is greater than twice the associated fee it took Norway to truly construct the longest street tunnel on the earth.
The Laerdal tunnel, connecting Oslo and Bergen, solely price £140m, adjusted for inflation, the thinktank’s head of coverage Sam Dumitriu mentioned.
“This is the most scrutinised planning application in history and yet still we can’t get a decision on whether the project should get permission.”
Picture:
A view of the River Thames from Gravesend, on the proposed Decrease Thames Crossing. Pic: PA
Planning software ‘5 occasions lengthy because the street itself’
Britain Remade has beforehand revealed how Nationwide Highways has needed to produce 359,866 pages throughout 2,383 separate paperwork within the software course of, together with redrafts and resubmissions.
Laid finish to finish it might stretch 66 miles, nearly 5 occasions so long as the street itself.
Mr Dumitriu mentioned the most recent setback “speaks to a wider problem with our planning system”.
He mentioned: “Projects go through enormous hurdles, every single I dotted, T crossed, countless environmental studies, analyses, surveys, 360,000 pages overall and yet still even after all of that work and money spent, projects can still get delayed because a minister has decided to kick it into the long grass.”
The preliminary deadline for a choice on whether or not to grant a growth consent order enabling Nationwide Highways to construct the street was scheduled for 20 June, however was delayed due to the overall election.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh was then on account of signal it off by final Friday, after receiving the planning inspectors’ suggestion three months in the past.
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‘Financial development a basic mission’
However in a written assertion to parliament this week, she mentioned it was “necessary” to increase the deadline for a choice to Could subsequent 12 months to provide the brand new authorities extra time for the applying to be thought-about.
She mentioned that included “any decisions made as part of the spending review” .
The cupboard minister later instructed LBC that she needed to “have confidence that the funding will be made available”, and that she believed the general prices of the venture have hit £1bn.
She mentioned that determine was “shocking” and her authorities desires to “radically change the way our planning and infrastructure works”.
Govt beneath strain over development guarantees
Labour is beneath strain to “get Britain building” – this being a central plank of their manifesto pledge to develop the economic system.
However Chancellor Rachel Reeves is anticipated to axe or delay infrastructure tasks in her Autumn Funds as a part of efforts to fill a £22bn “black hole” within the economic system.
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If authorized, the LTC is anticipated to price £9bn and take six years to construct – however delays might make that much more costly on account of price pressures like inflation, Mr Dumitriu mentioned.
Whereas it’s a complicated venture, analysis from Britain Remade has discovered we’re spending as much as eight occasions extra on rail and street tasks than our European neighbours due to mountains of crimson tape and “nimby opposition”.
Thurrock Council in Essex has persistently opposed the LTC, citing damaging financial, social and environmental impacts, although the chief of Kent’s Dartford Borough Council is in favour of the scheme.
Native campaigners Thames Crossing Motion Group claims the crossing can be “hugely destructive and harmful”, and a waste of cash.
Nationwide Highways says the LTC is required to ease congestion on the notoriously busy Dartford Crossing, which in itself is costing the UK economic system £200m a 12 months in sitting visitors, and that the scheme would double street capability throughout the Thames east of London.
