The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, has set out the government’s commitment to delivering the Lower Thames Crossing
She said: “We will work with a private sector to deliver the infrastructure that our country desperately needs. This includes the Lower Thames Crossing which will improve connectivity at Dover, Felixstowe and Harwich, alleviating severe congestion as goods destined to export come from the North, and the Midlands and across the country to markets overseas. To drive and deliver value for money for taxpayers we are exploring options to privately finance this important project.”
Matt Palmer, Executive Director of the Lower Thames Crossing, said: “The Chancellor’s statement today set out the government’s commitment to delivering the Lower Thames Crossing, one of the UK’s most important and vital growth projects. We are ready to start work, with our planning application due to be decided this May, in the meantime our focus remains on developing the UK’s greenest road to drive out carbon, restore nature and improve the benefits for the local community.”
The Lower Thames Crossing Development Consent Order is due to be determined by 23rd May.
However, campaigners in Kent have given a mixed reaction to the Government’s signal of support for the £9bn project, coming just three months after it said it was delaying the decision on whether to proceed until May 2025. Among them, Kent Wildlife Trust’s planning and policy officer, Emma Waller said: “The Lower Thames Crossing is not a sustainable solution; it is merely a short-term fix that exacerbates a deeper, systemic problem.”
Ms Reeves said on Wednesday that Labour is “exploring options” to work with the private sector to “deliver the infrastructure that our country desperately needs” – including the Lower Thames Crossing.
The project, which would link Gravesend in Kent and Tilbury in Essex via a tunnel beneath the river, has been proposed to relieve congestion caused by the Dartford Crossing, according to the BBC. The 14-mile road (22.5km) would link the A2 and M2 in Kent with the A13 and the M25 in Thurrock, and 2.6 miles of it (4.2km) would go under ground.
Welcoming the announcement, Dartford MP Jim Dickson said: “Labour is delivering for the people of Dartford. There is an end in sight to gridlock.”
Ms Reeves’ announcement comes just three months after the government said it was delaying the decision on whether to proceed with the project until May 2025.
A group of 80 businesses have previously called on the government to approve the project.