Letter to DfT on changes to road project funding guidelines

We have sent a letter to DfT on changes to road project funding guidelines.

The Department for Transport (DfT) wrote to Local Authorities and Sub-National Transport Bodies in January 2022 regarding changes to funding guidelines for Major Road Network (MRN) / Large Local Major (LLM) programme following the Spending Review.

To be clear projects like the proposed Lower Thames Crossing do not fall within the MRN or LLM, they are part of the government’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS2).

However, we felt it necessary to write to the DfT to ask whether RIS2 projects, like LTC, would be subject to the same new guidelines, and be reviewed and assessed in the same way as the Local Authority and Sub-National Transport Bodies projects.

After all climate change doesn’t discriminate what type of project is causing the environmental harm.

 

Read our letter to DfT

Letter to DfT re reassessment of road projects

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If you are having any issues with viewing our letter above it can also be downloaded as a pdf file here.

 

Response from DfT

We received a response from the Correspondence Team, Strategic Roads at the DfT on 6th May 2022.

The review to which you refer to only applies to Local Authority promoted schemes. Schemes on the Strategic Road Network promoted by National Highways, such as the LTC, are funded, reviewed and approved in a different way through the setting of five-year Road Investment Strategies (RIS).

Schemes within the RIS are subject to consultation, review and statutory consents at various points during their life cycle and you will hopefully be aware of National Highways announcing details of their plans for a further round of consultation on some refinements to the project. This will take place from 12 May to 20 June and further information can be found at 
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/lower-thames-crossing/latestnews/further-consultation-for-lower-thames-crossing/.

The LTC is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and is therefore is subject to the planning process mandated by the Planning Inspectorate as the Examining Authority.

Further information on the evidence, benefits and impacts of the project will be included as part of National Highway’s future application for a Development Consent Order (DCO). During the examination stage Interested Parties who have registered are invited to provide more details of their views in writing and the Examining Authority will consider all the important and relevant matters, including the representations of all Interested Parties.  The Planning Inspectorate will assess its application and make a recommendation based on the representations and evidence provided.

We will of course be registering as an Interested Party during the DCO, and most definitely raising our concerns to the Examining Authority.  The fight continues. Together we are stronger!

 

Related

Forbes (March 2022) – Major new roads in England may have funding pulled if they increase carbon or don’t boost active travel

Call for National Infrastructure Commission to review LTC (March 2022) – click here

Call for RIS2 to be re-opened/reviewed (March 2022) – click here