(Report of Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health)
The report outlined a proposed response to the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) route options consultation launched by Highways England (HE) on 24 January 2016. Whilst expressing general support for a new crossing at HE’s preferred location (a bored tunnel east of Gravesend), there were significant concerns about the impact of the proposal on the highway network and some communities in the northern part of the Borough. Particular attention was drawn to the effect on the A229 and A228 following the elimination of the previous ‘C Variant’ option which included upgrades to the A229 (Bluebell Hill) and related key junctions.
It was therefore considered that the Borough Council should join Kent County Council and others in reiterating the need for HE and the Department for Transport to reconsider the consequent impact of traffic movements, in particular the connection between the M20 and M2, and bring forward investment proposals in parallel with the LTC to address such matters.
The Cabinet resolved that:
(1) the issues and conclusions raised in the report be endorsed and forwarded to Highways England together with the comments included in Annex 2 to the report as the Council’s response to the public consultation; and
(2) the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health be requested to work with Kent County Council in making a case to the Department for Transport and Highways England for a commitment to investment in the existing highway network referred to in the report.