A presentation by Highways England followed by questions from the Committee.

The Chair of the Committee welcomed Highways England to make their presentation. The Highways England Group Leader opened the presentation to Members of the Committee highlighting the following key points:

·         Development of the proposals were assessed through work with local authorities, environment bodies, commercial organisations and utility companies who were against the scheme objectives based on Economic, Transport, Community and Environment.

·         Option C, route 3 was Highways England’s proposed solution although routes 3 and 2 options south of the river were to be consulted on.

·         It was explained that the new crossing would enable relief to the western end of A127 and A2 and significant relief to the existing Dartford Crossing Corridor, there would also be lesser relief to the M20.

The Committee were informed about the benefits of the proposed scheme, these included 5000 new jobs with £7billion contributed to the economy, unlocking the potential for investment in housing and regeneration. It was explained that the crossing would be a safer, faster and reliable route, which would offer value for money and provide a return on investment.

The Highways Group Manager informed Members that the 8 week consultation period was closing on the 24 March 2016. The Committee were informed that there were 24 information public events, digital and online consultations, public events and questionnaires.

Members were invited to ask questions to Highways England.

Councillor Kerin felt that the proposed Lower Thames Crossing options would not enable communities to flourish and would add significant pressures to the borough. It was stated that Highways England must have a full understanding of the impact. Councillor Rice explained how residents were upset that they had been issued with compulsory purchases. The Highways Group Manager explained that there was no correct time to share the unsettling news, but informed the Committee that 266,000 letters had been sent to make  those that may have been affected aware of the consultation before it came to an end.

Councillor Smith shared that communities felt disappointed due to the lack of information specifically regarding air quality statistics. Highways England explained that air quality assessments had been carried out which demonstrated how the preferred options would reduce traffic and recover air quality levels at the QE2 Bridge. It was questioned further by Councillor Smith what was in place to manage the risk of two accidents occurring at both crossings at the same time. The Highways Group Manager explained that national safety improvement targets were incorporated into the plan.

Councillor Ray questioned why route 1 option A, a bridge adjacent to the current QE2 Bridge was discarded. The Highways Group Manager explained that the route was discarded due to the short life assessment which would not offer a substantial return on investment, it was added that the route would also require construction on live carriageways which would be dangerous for contractors. Councillor Ray queried if a tunnel had been considered instead of a bridge, it was confirmed that this was also discarded due to costs.

Councillor Gledhill questioned if the requested junctions for larger businesses such the Port of Tilbury would be included into the consultation. Highways England confirmed that there was a question in the consultation relating to this, Members were informed that this was a decision to be taken by Thurrock’s Councillors. It was questioned further what had been put in place to ensure that Thurrock benefited from the expected 5,000 jobs that were to be available from the Lower Thame Crossing nationally. Highways England informed the Committee that there had been discussion with contractors as to what they would do for local communities such as apprenticeships and training.

Councillor Gledhill queried if the 14% of traffic from the QE2 Bridge being deferred to the proposed Lower Thames Crossing would balance out traffic flow. Highways England explained that a second crossing would enable relief for the QE2 Bridge but would not equally balance out the traffic.

Councillor S Little explained that Orsett residents had received 300 letters from Highways England, it was felt that many other residents were still unaware of the proposals. Councillor Aker questioned if Highways England would post a letter with the consultation documents to every household in Thurrock with a free post return stamp. The Highways Group Manager agreed to look into this and informed the Committee that Highways had reached out to communities in other ways such as adverts, public consultations, and online consultations.

Councillor Snell queried how long it would be before the new Lower Thames Crossing would reach its full capacity. The Highways England Group Manager explained that route C would cope with traffic increases in the future however there was capacity to open a third lane.

Councillor Worrall stated that information regarding the consultation materials and crossings had not been publicised correctly, Councillor Worrall felt that Councillors were carrying out work for Highways England to ensure that their wards were provided with the correct information. The Committee requested that all consultation materials were provided to Thurrock Councillors and residents.

Councillor Gerrish questioned what consultation response was required to discard the Lower Thames Crossing Options. Highways England informed the Committee that an independent consultation analysis by Ipsos MORI would be carried out then a consultation report would be posted to the Government.

The Leader of the Council highlighted that the 300 letters had been sent to residents without any warnings or indication to the Council beforehand. Highways England explained that arrangements were shared as much as possible.

Councillor S Little stated that the out of date statistics used to form the proposals were a risk in relation to the cost and scale of the project.