The government has announced another delay to its decision on firing the starting pistol for construction work on the Lower Thames Crossing.
A written ministerial statement (WMS) to Parliament from transport secretary Louise Haigh on Monday evening (7 October) set a new deadline of 23 May next year to determine the scheme’s development consent order.
The announcement follows a similar move made in May this year by Haigh’s predecessor as transport secretary, Mark Harper, who delayed the decision from June to 4 October.
In today’s WMS, Haigh said: “The deadline for the decision is to be further extended to 23 May 2025 in order to allow more time for the application to be considered further, including any decisions made as part of the spending review.”
The application to build the 14.5 mile-long scheme was submitted in October 2022, and the examining authority submitted its recommendation to the government in March this year following a public inquiry.
Under 2008 legislation intended to speed up the delivery of nationally significant infrastructure, ministers are under a duty to make decision on approval or rejection within three months of receiving the examiner’s recommendation.
However, they have the power to extend the deadline by informing Parliament.
Commenting on the latest delay, Marie-Claude Hemming, director of operations at the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, said: “While we understand the importance of ensuring the right decision is made, this last-minute delay will heavily impact upon the confidence and strength of the supply chain, which has primed itself for delivery now.”
The A122 Lower Thames Crossing scheme is being promoted by National Highways.
It consists of a new road crossing connecting Kent, Thurrock, and Essex, connecting to the existing road network from the A2/M2 to the M25, with two tunnels – southbound and northbound – running beneath the River Thames.
In December, National Highways announced the award of the £1.34 contract to a Bouygues Travaux Publics / Murphy joint venture for the construction of the project’s signature feature: the UK’s largest bored tunnels.
Earlier last year, Skanska was awarded the £450m contract for the southern section connecting the A2/M2 to the tunnel, while Balfour Beatty won a £1.2bn package for roads on the northern side of the River Thames.
The new seven-month postponement comes as the Treasury reportedly explores options to attract private financing for the megaproject.
In August, chancellor Rachel Reeves’s department was reported to be considering offering toll revenue from the Lower Thames Crossing to private investors in exchange for a cash injection to ease the burden on the public purse.
One option under review could allow investors to finance part or all of the project in return for a long-term lease of up to 125 years, or potentially indefinitely, to recoup their investment, the reports suggested.
