What is the Lower Thames Crossing?

The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed new road connecting Kent, Thurrock and Essex through a tunnel beneath the River Thames. It would provide much-needed new road capacity across the river east of London.

On the south side of the River Thames, the new road would link to the A2 and M2 in  Kent. On the north side, it would link to the A13 in Thurrock and the M25 in Havering. The tunnel crossing is located to the east of Gravesend on the south of the River Thames and to the west of East Tilbury on the north side.

The Lower Thames Crossing proposals include:

• approximately 3 miles (23km) of new roads connecting the tunnel to the existing road network
• three lanes in both directions, apart from the southbound connection between the M25 and A13, where it would be two lanes, and around junctions
• technology providing lane control and variable speed limits up to 70mph
• upgrades to the M25, A2 and A13 where it connects to those roads
• new structures and changes to existing ones including bridges, viaducts and utilities such as electricity pylons
• two 6-mile (4.3km) tunnels crossing beneath the river, one for southbound traffic, one for northbound traffic
• a free-flow charging system, where drivers do not need to stop but pay remotely, similar to that at the Dartford Crossing
• traffic regulation measures that include prohibiting use by pedestrians, low- powered motorcycles, cyclists, horse riders and agricultural vehicles
• provision of environment mitigation and replacement of special category land

About this consultation

Following our statutory consultation in 2018 and non-statutory supplementary consultation in early 2020, we are proposing a number of design refinements to the Lower Thames Crossing.

This design refinement consultation is the latest stage in the planning process.

It is an opportunity for you to have your say on the changes we have made since our non-statutory consultation in January 2020.

We want to get all aspects of the design, construction and operation of the Lower Thames Crossing right. Your views play a vital role in helping us shape the project

When we submit our Development Consent Order application to the Planning Inspectorate later this year, we will include a Consultation Report that explains whether, and how, we have changed the proposals in response to feedback received from our previous consultations and this design refinement consultation.

Please submit your response by 23:59 on 12 August 2020.

Property and landowners

Development boundary

We have revised our development boundary to reflect the changes that we are now proposing for this design refinement consultation.

At supplementary consultation, the development boundary comprised over 26km² of land. Allowing for the changes we are now consulting on, the land within the revised development boundary is now slightly below 23km². We have been able to reduce this by refining the design of utility diversions in some areas along the route.

A comparison of the development boundary presented at supplementary consultation, and the revised boundary, is shown above. Within this revised development boundary, there is now some additional land along the Lower Thames Crossing route that would be required permanently.

At the time we submit our DCO application, the revised development boundary will be referred to as the Order Limits.

Property and landowners

There are approximately 150 residential and business properties within the revised

development boundary. This has been reduced from approximately 270 properties presented at supplementary consultation.

Around 70 would only be affected by works  to adjust existing electricity cables above the properties, so would not need to be purchased for the project. At supplementary consultation, this figure was around 190.

Of the other 80 properties, around 40 would require demolition and the remainder would be impacted by construction works or would need changes to how they are accessed.

Utility diversions

Where we are diverting utilities, such as power lines or gas pipelines, we would normally use the land temporarily but retain permanent rights over it to allow the utility owner to operate and maintain the utility infrastructure. This would allow ownership of the land to remain with the existing landowner. Other areas, for example construction sites, would also only be needed temporarily. When work is complete, any land would be reinstated and returned to its owner.

Special category land

In some locations, the Lower Thames Crossing is impacting existing areas of special category land. Due to this, our revised development boundary includes replacement land for some  of the special category land, or rights over land, that we propose to compulsory purchase.

Environmental impacts

As part of our statutory consultation in 2018, we produced a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR), which can be found on our website. This provided preliminary information about the project’s likely significant environmental effects and the measures being considered to avoid or minimise them.

Earlier this year, we produced an Environmental Impacts Update document, which considered the environmental effects of the changes proposed at our supplementary consultation, compared with those considered in the 2018 PEIR.

Our latest Environmental Impacts Update for this consultation explains the environmental effects associated with the proposed refinements, again compared with those considered in the 2018 PEIR and, where relevant, the 2020 supplementary consultation Environmental Impacts Update.

It considers the expected effects on the following aspects of the environment for the proposed refinements (where applicable), during both construction and operation:

• Air quality
• Noise and vibration
• Cultural heritage
• Landscape and visual
• Biodiversity (terrestrial and marine)
• Road drainage and water environment
• Geology and soils
• Materials and waste
• People and communities
• Climate

The document also explains what we are  doing to reduce impacts (mitigation measures) and why.
 View the Environmental Impacts Update document here.

Next steps

Further assessments and the development of detailed measures to reduce environmental effects are ongoing as part of our Environmental Impact Assessment. These will be reported in the Environmental Statement, which will also

be informed by the project’s consideration of consultation responses, and further survey and design work. The Environmental Statement

will be submitted as part of the Development Consent Order application later this year.