Venue: Committee Room 1, Civic Offices, New Road, Grays, Essex, RM17 6SL. View directions
Contact: Lucy Tricker, Democratic Services Officer
Email: direct.democracy@thurrock.gov.uk
Items
No. |
Item |
39. |
Apologies for Absence
Minutes:
Apologies were
received from Councillors Terry Piccolo and Sue Shinnick.
Apologies were also received from Peter
Ward, Thurrock Business Representative and Westley Mercer, Thurrock
Business Board Representative.
|
40. |
Minutes PDF 100 KB
To approve as a correct record the minutes of
the Lower Thames Crossing Task Force meeting held on 16 December
2019.
Minutes:
The minutes were
approved as a true and correct record.
|
41. |
Items of Urgent Business
To receive additional items that the Chair is
of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in
accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act
1972.
Minutes:
There were no items of urgent business.
|
42. |
Declaration of Interests
Minutes:
There were no interests declared.
|
43. |
Highways England - Scheme Presentation
Minutes:
The HE Development Director introduced the
presentation and stated that it presented the high-level changes
that had been made following statutory consultation in 2018. He
asked members of the public to come to the consultation events that
were being held across the borough and respond to the consultation
material. He stated that the government had rated the LTC as a Tier
1 project which meant it was a much needed piece of infrastructure,
as it would reduce congestion and delays on the Dartford Crossing,
but doubling river crossing capacity East of London. He commented
that the LTC would remove 13 million vehicles from the Dartford
Crossing in the first year of opening, and would improve the
reliability of the M25 and surrounding roads.
The HE Development Director moved onto discussing the proposed
tunnel which would hold the LTC, and stated that it would be the
third largest bored tunnel in the world, and would still not be at
capacity 25 years after opening. The HE Development Director
compared this figure to the Dartford Crossing which was opened in
1993 and had almost reached capacity by 1997. He added that the LTC
would provide better access for tankers and abnormal loads, as they
would not have to be escorted through in convoy. The HE Development
Director highlighted that 29,000 people had responded to the
statutory consultation in 2018, and as there were 16 questions per
response form, it had taken HE a long time to analyse them all. He
added that since the close of consultation the mobile information
unit had continued to visit areas across the borough and had
received 7000 visitors. The HE Development Director then
highlighted that since the close of consultation the team had been
on site conducting ground investigations, which would last for one
year, and were necessary to gather data such as soil quality, to be
able to submit the planning approval. He added that the design had
also been further developed to improve safety and reduce potential
accidents along the route.
The HE Development Director clarified that the current round of
consultation had started on 29 January and would last for eight
weeks, and members of the public could fill the response form out
online, or pick up a copy from the deposit locations. He added that
numerous public information events were also being held across the
borough, and questions could also be asked on the HE website. He
mentioned that the main guide to consultation could be viewed
online, or could be picked up from the foyer in the Civic Offices,
and the response form also had a section for members of the public
to add in any comments or concerns they might have.
The HE Development Director stated that there had not been much
change regarding traffic updates, but HE had received new HGV data
and port traffic data from government that had been included in the
traffic model. He also added that an update to the Environmental
Impact Assessment had been ...
view the full minutes text for item 43.
|
44. |
Task Force Priorities List PDF 133 KB
Minutes:
The Assistant Director stated that once the HE
consultation had finished, the document would
be updated.
Members had no comment on the Task Force Priorities List.
|
45. |
Work Programme PDF 56 KB
Minutes:
The Assistant Director LTC stated that the
Council’s consultation response would be
considered at the March Task Force meeting, and the April
meeting would discuss updates to the HIA.
Members had no comment on the Work Programme.
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