Lower Thames Crossing local refinement consultation 2022

Overview

The Lower Thames Crossing local refinement   consultation has now closed.

Before completing the response form below, please view our consultation website.

Since we first consulted on the route of the Lower Thames Crossing, tens of thousands of you have helped us design a project that will improve lives across the region and beyond. It will boost our economy, support jobs and education, regenerate local communities and provide the vital road capacity that is so desperately needed.  

Our last consultation was one of the most comprehensive ever delivered by National Highways. Focusing on our proposals for building and operating the new road, it helped us to develop our plans for this transformative project, so we can maximise its benefits.  

We couldn’t have got here without you. Your feedback has been invaluable. Now, we are launching this consultation to gather further feedback from you, this time on some localised changes to the project, before we submit our Development Consent Order (DCO) application, which we intend to do later this year.  
The changes we’re consulting on are the result of our ongoing design work, engagement with our stakeholders, and your feedback, which is summarised in our ‘You said, we did’ section. 

Improvements for local people 

The Lower Thames Crossing will almost double road capacity between Kent, Thurrock, Essex and Havering, providing much-needed relief to the millions of people who use the Dartford Crossing every year. 
If given the green light, the project can play a vital role in connecting communities and bringing people closer to jobs and leisure opportunities.  
This consultation is about improving the project for local people and includes: 

• the re-design of Tilbury Fields
• increasing the amount of open space south of the river by adding land to the east of Chalk Park
• a new link road from the Orsett Cock junction to the A1089
• a new bridge over the A127 for walkers, cyclists and horse riders
• modified access to the northern tunnel entrance, providing safer operation of the tunnel facilities and better access for the emergency services
• additional environmental compensation
• Reducing our environmental impact 

There have been two other significant project developments. These relate to how we plan to compensate for potential air quality impacts on sensitive habitats, and our ground-breaking approach to setting new standards for reducing carbon during construction.  

At the request of Natural England, we’ve refined the way we assess the impacts of nitrogen, so it includes ammonia being emitted from vehicle exhausts, as well as nitrogen oxides (NOx). It means we’re better able to understand the impact of vehicle emissions from traffic using the new road on sensitive designated habitats.  

As a result, we’re now consulting on providing around 270 additional hectares for new wildlife habitats that would compensate for potential environmental impacts on these habitats. 

Earlier this year, the Lower Thames Crossing was designated a ‘pathfinder’ project. This means that we are exploring carbon-neutral construction as part of our efforts to make the new crossing the greenest road ever built in the UK. 

We know the vehicles on our roads are evolving rapidly and carbon emissions from those using the Lower Thames Crossing are expected to fall dramatically as more people switch to electric.  

Together with our partners and local businesses, we’ll continue to identify innovative ways of building and operating our infrastructure. Ideas include removing diesel from our sites by only using hydrogen and electric equipment, and looking at alternatives to carbon-intensive materials like concrete and steel.  

Have your say

Once again, your views will be important in helping us to ensure the new road delivers everything we need it to.

When we submit our DCO application, we will include a Consultation Report that explains how we have listened to comments received from all our consultations, and how they have informed our proposals.  

Many thanks for your time – your input continues to be essential. 

View our events list, deposit locations and information points.

At the end of the response form you will see our data privacy statement, explaining how we will use the information you provide to us.