A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Design Consultation September 2021

Overview

Investing in your roads

At National Highways (formerly known as Highways England), we believe in a connected country where our network makes these connections happen. Our roads link with railway stations, ports and airports to give people a choice of travel and to support interconnectivity. When it comes to getting people where they need to be, we provide three times more miles per person than the railways.

About us

We operate, maintain and improve England’s motorways and major A-roads and our network totals around 4,300 miles. While this represents only 2% of all roads in England by length, these roads carry a third of all traffic by mileage and two-thirds of all heavy goods traffic.

Our road network forms the economic back bone of the country, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is relied on by communities and businesses to get from A to B.

Our 1,200-mile network across the north of England stretches from big cities like Manchester and Newcastle to the rural, single carriageways of Cumbria and Northumberland. It is one of the most diverse areas of motorways and major A-roads in the country to maintain and keep moving, so that we all get home safely.

We also support local tourism, connecting the millions of holidaymakers who travel across the country to visit hotspots like the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales every year.

About the scheme

The planned improvement of the A66 plays a major part in our £27.4bn Roads Investment Strategy (RIS). It is the biggest investment in the north’s road network for a generation and is key to the Government’s Build Back Better and Northern Powerhouse plans, helping support local and regional growth. This huge investment will help level up the regional economic differences across parts of the UK.

The work we will deliver through this project will bring far-reaching benefits to those that use and live near the route. It will provide improved connections between Cumbria, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear, but also routes between Scotland and the major towns and cities across the north. Critical national freight journeys will also be made more reliable. By providing better links, we will unlock access to tourism, jobs, essential services and new opportunities.

There are important choices to be made before the plans are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in the form of an application fora Development Consent Order and a decision is reached by the Secretary of State for Transport. It is vital we listen to feedback from the people that live and work in the area and incorporate this into further design work.

Since our Preferred Route was announced in May 2020, we have continued to work with local communities to provide as much information as possible before launching this preliminary design consultation.

This is your chance to shape the future of the route. Let us know what you think about our latest designs and help us improve your journey.

What we are proposing

This project represents one of the largest and most important highways investments in the north of England in a generation. The A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), by the UK Government under the Planning Act 2008. As such, Highways England are required to make an application for a Development Consent Order to obtain permission to construct and operate the new A66.

The project is also what is called an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) development which means an environmental statement will be submitted with our application for a Development Consent Order, which is the planning permission for a major project such as this. As part of this consultation, we have therefore prepared a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) setting out our preliminary assessments to help you understand the likely significant environmental effects of our proposals.

Alongside this environmental statement we will also be submitting a draft Environmental Management Plan (EMP) detailing how the project will minimise or avoid impacts on the environment. We have prepared an outline EMP as part of this consultation which forms part of the PEIR. Consultation is an essential part of the Development Consent Order process. Your feedback has helped – and will continue to help – shape our proposals for the A66.We are proposing eight individual schemes along the 50 miles of the A66:

• M6 junction 40 to Kemplay Bank
• Penrith to Temple Sowerby
• Temple Sowerby to Appleby
• Appleby to Brough
• Bowes Bypass
• Cross Lanes to Rokeby
• Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor
• A1(M) junction 53 Scotch Corner

Our consultation brochure explains our proposals for the proposed scheme. We also provide you with details of how you can give us your feedback during our public consultation. Your responses will help us shape the proposals before we submit our Development Consent Order application.

Please see the below visual flythroughs of our preliminary designs.

A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project - M6 junction 40 and Kemplay bank

A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project - Penrith to Temple Sowerby

A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project - Appleby to Brough

A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project - Bowes Bypass

A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project - Cross Lanes to Rokeby

A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project - Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor

A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project - Temple Sowerby to Appleby

Why your views matter

Road infrastructure improvements affect everyone. They help us move around our country and connect with one another. It’s essential that we understand your views so we can ensure we deliver the right schemes. 

Consultation plays a vital part in the development of scheme design. Your feedback to this public consultation will help us understand how the proposed options impact road users and the local community. You will be helping to shape the scheme and maximise the benefits as we progress the design.

Projects of this size and importance need a Development Consent Order (DCO). Before we can submit an application for a DCO, we consult with road users, the local community and other stakeholders on our proposals for the scheme.

Why we are consulting again

We are proposing to invest around one billion pounds to improve the remaining single carriageway sections of the A66 to dual carriageway between M6 junction 40 and theA1(M) at Scotch Corner.

In summer 2019, we consulted on our proposed routes for improving the route. In spiring 2020, we announced our Preferred Route based on your feedback and our development work at that time.

Since then, we have been carrying out a range of environmental and geological surveys including drilling approximately 300 bore hole and digging approximately 200 trial pits, to discover more about the land, plants, wildlife and cultural heritage in the area. This has given us new insight into how we can improve our initial design for the A66.

Following this work and your feedback, we have made several changes to the proposed Preferred Route design. We want to hear from you, using our feedback form, on this new design of the A66.

For more information on our previous consultation results and Preferred Route Announcement, please visit our Options Consultation page. 

Development Consent

The A66 Northern Trans-Pennine scheme is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008. This means that we are required to make an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to obtain permission to construct our proposed improvements.

Before we can submit an application for a DCO, we must formally consult the local community and other stakeholders on our proposals for the scheme and the likely significant environmental effects based on the information available at the time.

Following our preliminary design consultation, a development consent application will then be made to the Planning Inspectorate, who will examine our proposals. The examination process is likely to involve public hearings. Following the examination, the Planning Inspectorate will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport, who will decide whether the project will go ahead.

Our application for development consent will be made on the full route between M6 junction 40 to Kemplay Bank and A1(M) junction 53 Scotch Corner and we intend to submit our application for development consent in spring / summer 2022. Subject to development approval, we expect to start construction in 2024.

In our consultation brochure, we explain the proposals for the scheme. We also provide you with details of how you can give us your feedback during our public consultation. Your responses will help us shape the proposals before we submit our DCO application.

To help us shape the final design in preparation of the submission to the Planning Inspectorate, it is important you are involved now and submit your response by 11.59pm on Saturday 06 November 2021.

Further information on the DCO process can be found on the National Infrastructure Planning website and also in our animation video below:

Find out more and have your say

Virtual exhibition

One of the best ways to find out more information about our proposals is to visit our Virtual Exhibition during our preliminary design consultation which opens on Friday 24 September 2021 and lasts for six weeks. This can be accessed at any time convenient to you and includes all the materials that you would be able to find at a public exhibition, such as maps and environmental information. We have provided instructions to help you navigate the room. Click here to enter. 

If you require help accessing the room, you can get in touch with our Project Team by emailing A66NTP@highwaysengland.co.uk or by calling 0333 090 1192 during business hours.

Related documents

There are many documents available as part of this public consultation. In addition to the consultation brochure and supporting information which can be found at the bottom of this page, we have also produced a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) of the initial findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment. This describes the environmental setting and anticipated impacts of the proposed scheme. 

A Non-Technical Summary of the PEIR has also been prepared to summarise the emerging effects and can be viewed as a digital version of in our virtual exhibition room. 

Consultation events

We will be hosting a series of in person events where members of our project team will be available to talk you through our proposals and answer any questions that you may have.

If you would like to speak with a member of the project team in advance, you can get in touch by emailing A66NTP@highwaysengland.co.uk or by calling a member of the Project Team on 0333 090 1192. 

Due to COVID-19, we will hold all these events in accordance with government guidelines at the time. Furthermore, all our face to face events are subject to last minute cancellation therefore, prior to attending any of our public exhibitions, you can check in advance if events are scheduled to go ahead by calling our Project Team on 0333 090 1192 or by emailing A66NTP@highwaysengland.co.uk. 

Question and Answer Sessions

We are also be hosting a series of online Question & Answer sessions. You can book onto one of these sessions below by sending an email to A66NTP@highwaysengland.co.uk with your full name and the session you'd like to join.  Once you've signed up, a link will be sent to your email address 24 hours in advance of your session. Please sign up if you would like to attend any of the following Question & Answer Sessions:

• Q&A Session for M6 junction 40 to Kemplay Bank, Penrith to Temple Sowerby, and Temple Sowerby to Appleby – Kirkby Thore: Wednesday 13 October, 6pm – 7:30pm
• Q&A Session for Temple Sowerby to Appleby – Crackenthorpe, Appleby to Brough: Wednesday 20 October, 11:30am – 1pm
• Q&A Session for Bowes Bypass, Cross Lanes to Rokeby, Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor, A1(M) junction 53 Scotch Corner: Wednesday 27 October, 11:30am – 1pm
• General Q&A session: Wednesday 3 November, 6pm – 7:30pm

Where to get a hard copy or accessible version of the consultation brochure

Subject to COVID-19 restrictions, hard copies of the Consultation Brochure and Response Form will be available for six weeks at pick up locations below. Availability will depend on venue opening times and any venue restrictions. Prior to attending any of the locations below, please contact the venue in advance. More information, including contact details, can be accessed by clicking on the venue name below.

You can access a more accessible and user friendly version of the consultation brochure below however if you require alternative formats of our consultation materials, additional copies, or require materials posting to you, please get in touch with our project team by emailing A66NTP@highwaysengland.co.uk or by calling 0333 090 1192.

What happens next

Once our public consultation closes at 11.59pm on Saturday 06 November 2021, we will review all feedback received. We will take time to analyse and consider your views when making further refinements to the proposed design and to develop our planned mitigation measures. We will set out a summary of the responses and describe how the proposals have been informed by and influenced by them in a consultation report. This will form part of our application for development consent and will also be available to the public following submission of the application.

Once we submit a DCO application, the Planning Inspectorate, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport (SoS) will examine the application and hold some public hearings, before making a recommendation to the SoS, who will decide on whether or not the proposed scheme will go ahead.

Related documents 

Below you will find documents related to this consultation that will help inform your understanding of the scheme design proposals in order to help support your feedback. Please note that some documents are larger than others and need additional time to download before they are fully visible. If you experience any issues accessing any materials, please contact a member of the Project Team by emailing A66NTP@highwaysengland.co.uk or by calling 0333 090 1192.