A66 Northern Trans-Pennine DCO Design Application Change Consultation 2023

Overview

Investing in your roads

At National Highways, 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 A66 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 A66 has been identified by Government as a key project which will help support the growth of the north. As such, it is part of a scheme called Project Speed to escalate important infrastructure projects.

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.

What we are proposing

The A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project is planning to dual the remaining single carriageway sections on the route between M6 junction 40 at Penrith and A1(M) at Scotch Corner and represents one of the largest and most important highways investments in the north of England in a generation.

Classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), by the UK Government under the Planning Act 2008, the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project is required to make an application for a Development Consent Order to obtain permission to construct and operate the new A66.

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. 

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 route options for improving the route. In spring 2020, we then announced our Preferred Route based on your feedback and our development work at that time.

Between January and March 2022, we undertook a Preliminary Design Consultation before we submitted our Development Consent Order application in June 2022 that was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate for review in July 2022.

As part of our ongoing scheme development, we have now identified possible changes against the conclusions of the environmental impact assessment undertaken for the Development Consent Order design to determine whether there is a risk of a change in significant environmental effects. Subsequently, in December 2022, we wrote to the Examining Authority, providing notice of our intention to propose some changes to the project.

Alongside this non-statutory consultation, we have submitted a request to the Examining Authority to consider and accept the proposed changes as part of our application. 

What we're consulting you on

As part of Project Speed, we are carrying out some of our detailed design work alongside our Development Consent Order process which means we can bring forward some changes which we might not usually be able to make at this stage and we can also make larger detailed changes through this change consultation. This ensures the changes are written into our Development Consent Order and are guaranteed to be delivered.

Through ongoing engagement with landowners, stakeholders, and our delivery partners, we have identified a number of opportunities to improve our project. These opportunities respond to feedback that we have received, reduce the impact on the environment or reduce the amount of land we need to build the project.

We are now looking to make some changes to our design proposals as part of our planning application for the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project because we believe they will benefit the final project. As such, any changes will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration. If accepted, there would be opportunities for the detail of each proposed change to be considered and examined, and for all interested parties to make representations on the proposed changes, as part of the on-going examination of the application.

What we're proposing

We are consulting on a total of 32 changes that relate to the following sections:

In our Consultation Brochure, we explain the proposed changes for the scheme. We also provide you with details of how you can give us your feedback during our public consultation. 

You can access the Preliminary Environmental Information Report in the Related Documents section on our 2021 Preliminiary Design Consultation page, and a Non-Technical Summary that summarises the emerging environmental effects anticipated of the proposed scheme.  

As part of this change consultation, we have updated our Environmental Appendix which can be accessed below. The tables in this Appendix, set out where we consider there to be a proposed change that gives rise to a new or different likely significant effect compared to those reported in the Environmental Statement submitted as part of our Development Consent Order application.

The information will give consultees an understanding of the risks of new or different likely significant effects arising from these changes.

To help us shape the final design in preparation of the submission of our findings to the Planning Inspectorate, it is important you are involved now and submit your response by 11.59pm on Monday 27 February 2023.

Development Consent

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

An application for development consent for the scheme was accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate in July 2022 and five independent Inspectors (the Examining Authority) was appointed by the Planning Inspectorate to examine our Development Consent Order application, looking at evidence presented by the A66 Project Team and issues raised by others, during a six-month examination period which began at the end of November 2022, and which will end in May 2023.

After the examination closes, the Examining Authority will report to the Secretary of State for Transport, who will decide whether to grant development consent for the project.

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

Find out more and have your say

There are important considerations to be take into account before a decision is reached by the Secretary of State for Transport in response to our Development Consent Order application. It is vital we listen to further feedback from the people with an interest in our proposals or those who live and work in the area. This is your chance to shape the future of the route and we welcome your feedback on our proposed changes to our Development Consent Order application to help us improve your journey.

Our Consultation Brochure explains our updated proposals for the scheme. We also provide you with details of how you can give us your feedback during our public consultation. Any further responses will continue to help us shape the proposals before the Secretary of State for Transport considers our Development Consent Order application.

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 proposed changes and answer any questions that you may have.

To speak with a member of the Project Team in advance, you can email us at: changeconsultationA66NTP@nationalhighways.co.uk or you can call us on 0333 090 1192. 

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

A copy of our Consultation Brochure explaining the proposed changes are available on this page. Alternatively, you can call us on 0333 090 1192 or email changeconsultationA66NTP@nationalhighways.co.uk to request a hard copy.

Hard copies of the Consultation Brochure and Response Form are available for at deposit 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 here however if you require alternative formats of our consultation materials, additional copies, or require materials posting to you, contact us by:

• Email: changeconsultationA66NTP@nationalhighways.co.uk
• Call: 03330 901 192

What happens next

Our consultation runs from Saturday 28 January to 11.59pm on Monday 27 February 2023. We would welcome your thoughts on our proposals so please complete our feedback form either online or in hard copy.

Once our public consultation closes, we will review all feedback received. We will take time to analyse and consider your views before we set out a summary of the responses in a consultation report which will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate who will then make the decision on what changes can be progressed

If the project is approved by the Secretary of State for Transport, construction is expected to start in 2024.

Related documents

Below you will find documents related to this consultation that will help inform your understanding of the proposed scheme changes 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, contact a member of the Project Team by:

• Email: changeconsultationA66NTP@nationalhighways.co.uk
• Call: 03330 901 192

Supporting documents are available as part of this public consultation that can be found in the Related Documents section at the bottom of this page. In addition to this consultation and supporting information, you can access historical consultations and supporting information by clicking on the links below.