The Lower Thames Crossing project – a £10bn road that connects Kent, Thurrock and Essex – has been given the go ahead by the government.
Approximately 14.5 miles in length, it will connect to the existing road network from the A2/M2 to the M25 with two tunnels – one southbound and one northbound – running beneath the River Thames.
First proposed in the late 2000s, the crossing is designed to relieve the pressure on the existing A282 Dartford Crossing. Applications have been submitted and withdrawn in the years since, but this week’s approval from the Planning Inspectorate will see construction begin next year, with an expected completion date of 2031.
Writing on X, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “When I said I would back the builders, not the blockers, I meant it. Giving the Lower Thames Crossing the green light will drive growth and make journeys quicker, safer and more reliable. That is my Plan for Change in action.”
In September, campaigners urged the governmentto cancel £10.5bn in road projects and use the money to fund new rail and public transport projects. The bulk of the savings were to be made through the scrapping of the Lower Thames Crossing.
The government subsequently said it needed “more time for the application to be considered” as part of a series of broader spending reviews around transport infrastructure.
But the approval signals Labour’s commitment to combat the UK’s sluggish economy through infrastructure expansion, as forecasts for growth are expected to be downgraded alongside today’s Spring Statement.
The introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill last year aimed to reduce regulations on builders by scrapping “archaic” laws used by NIMBYs to block local infrastructure developments.
The government has sinceapproved a third runway at Heathrow and has made positive noises aboutexpanding Gatwick Airport, although the final decision has been delayed until October to seek views from all affected parties.
In February, Starmer also unveiled plans to builda new suite of nuclear power plants in the UK, alongside a revamping of the planning rules to prevent local interests from derailing nationally significant projects.