M25 junction 28 Supplementary Consultation - November 2019

Overview

Investing in your roads

The M25 Junction 28 scheme is identified within the Government’s 2015-2020 Road Investment Strategy (RIS1), which states that England’s Strategic Road Network requires upgrading and improving to ensure it can deliver the performance needed to support the nation in the 21st century.

In 2016/17 we held our options consultation and in 2018/19 we held a further preliminary design (statutory) consultation, on both occasions inviting the community, affected landowners and other stakeholders to comment on our proposals to improve junction 28 on the M25.

Since our preliminary design (statutory) consultation closed, we have been working hard to develop the scheme further, considering feedback, developing our design and undertaking further environmental assessments including additional survey work and as a result, we have developed our plans further, taking into account key infrastructure that identified further measures are required to mitigate the effects of the scheme.

Over the next four weeks between 04 November and 02 December 2019 we are now consulting on 10 proposed key changes and newly identified impacts to the scheme, including the extent of the scheme red line boundary.

We are keen to hear your views on our proposals, specifically on how our proposals may affect you, your organisation or those you represent before we submit our Development Consent Order (DCO) application to build the scheme. 

Deposit points

Copies of our supplementary consultation brochure and response form, including  previous consultation documents are available to view at the following locations for the duration of the consultation period: 

Previous consultation materials

Why your views matter

The need for improvements at junction 28

M25 junction 28 plays a vital role in connecting the M25 with the A12, as well as providing local access to Brentwood via the A1023 (Brook Street).

It’s a heavily used junction which features a roundabout mainly controlled by traffic lights. It is already operating at full capacity, with traffic queues and lengthy delays, resulting in longer and increasingly unreliable journey times for motorists.

Up to 7,500 vehicles per hour currently travel through the roundabout at peak times. With this level of traffic junction 28 is often operating at, or close to capacity, resulting in traffic queues and delays. In recent years there have been a number of incidents, which create additional delays and disruption to traffic along the M25, A12 and local roads.

The A1023 (Brook Street) arm of the roundabout is the only approach not controlled by traffic lights. After leaving the roundabout to travel along Brook Street, motorists pass through the traffic lights at the Nags Head Lane and Mascalls Lane junctions. During peak times both of these junctions operate at capacity and queues of traffic regularly develop along Brook Street and often back on to the roundabout. These queues can further block the entry and exit roads to the M25 and A12.

Traffic in the area is expected to increase by up to 40% by 2037, so without intervention, conditions will continue to deteriorate. If we don’t improve junction 28, by 2037 we can expect:

1. Increased congestion and lengthy queues – with delays at least five times longer than experienced now
2. A 25% reduction in average speeds through the junction (excluding M25 and A12 mainline)
3. Widespread disruption following incidents
4. Constraints on future growth opportunities
5. Local air quality issues to deteriorate further.

The changes we are consulting on

The following changes are outlined in our supplementary consultation brochure accompanied by tables that set out how the main preliminary environmental effects are now different from those presented at our preliminary design (statutory) consultation.

Key features of all proposed changes can be found on page four of our supplementary consultation brochure and include:

1. Mitigation proposals

2. Weald Brook mitigation works

3. High-pressure gas main diversion

4. Proposed construction compound

5. Proposed satellite compound

6. Redesign of the A12 eastbound exit road

7. Ingrebourne River mitigation works

8. Drainage ponds and access tracks

9. Location of replacement of gantry

10. Potential use of existing access track

We have also collected new baseline information and established the presence of veteran trees (a tree which, because of its age, size and condition, is of exceptional biodiversity, cultural or heritage value). Therefore, we have also included a section in our supplementary consultation brochure on newly identified impacts which outlines further preliminary environmental information relating to effects on veteran trees including details of the surveys we have completed to date.

Your views are important

We want to hear your views about our proposed changes following our preliminary design (statutory) consultation and this four week supplementary consultation period provides another key opportunity for you to have your say on the scheme. We will review and consider all comments received.

Please respond using one of the following methods by 11.59pm on 02 December 2019:

1. Online: complete the response form here
2. Complete the response form and post it to: FREEPOST M25 junction 28 Improvement Scheme
3. Email your response to: info@highwaysengland.co.uk
4. Write to us at: FREEPOST M25 junction 28 Improvement Scheme.

Data Protection and You: General Data Protection Regulations

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What Happens Next

Once our supplementary consultation has closed at 23.59 on 02 December 2019, we will review all the suggestions and comments received.

We will then take time to analyse and consider your feedback to help us refine the proposed design and to develop our planned mitigation measures.

We will set out a summary of the responses, and describe how our proposals have been informed by and influenced by them, in a consultation report. This will form part of our Develpment Consent Order (DCO) submission and will also be available to the public following this. We expect to submit our DCO by spring 2020 and, subject to approval, works are currently planned to start in 2021.

To help us shape the final design in preparation of our submission to the Planning Inspectorate, it is important you are involved now and submit your responses no later than 11.59pm on 02 December 2019, responses submitted after this time may not be considered.

Once we submit our DCO, the Planning Inspectorate (acting on behalf of the Secretary of State) may examine it. There is likely to be public hearings during examination. Following this, the examining authority will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport, who will decide on whether the scheme will go ahead.

How we develop new road schemes