LTC Minor Refinements Consultation Step by Step
We know some of you appreciate a little extra guidance and help with responding to the consultations, so here is our step by step to the Minor Refinements Consultation, which we hope helps!
Remember anyone can respond to the consultation.
- You don’t have to live locally to the impacted area of LTC, anyone from anywhere can take part if they wish!
- It is not limited to one per household, everyone can take part
- Children can take part with parent/guardians permission If they prefer to draw their response an adult can give a brief interpretation if needs be to help analysis!
- Businesses, school, forums, clubs, organisations etc can take part As long as you have permission to make an official representation on behalf of the company/organisation you can submit a response on their behalf. This doesn’t stop you also taking part as an individual too.
- You can take part anonymously if you wish
- You can send more than one response If you have already responded and now have more to say then please respond again!
In the 2016 consultation we tried to help those asking for assistance with responding to the consultation with some template letters. This resulted in Highways England lumping together approx 13,000 responses and counting them as one campaign response.
They’ve done it before and they will do it again, so please do NOT copy and paste anything directly from our website or social media posts, please put your own comments in your own words! They do the same with those online petition style responses to consultations that some charities/organisations use.
Every response counts, so let’s make sure they count them all as individual responses but submitting our own comments in our own words please!
How to take part
You can of course respond using the National Highways consultation response form, but please bear in mind that NH have designed the form to get the answers/feedback they want. If you do use it please read the wording carefully! You have until 23:59 on Mon 19th June 2023 to submit the form.
Our preferred way to respond is to send our own comments in our own words either via email or post, you don’t have to use the response form :
- POST – Send your comments to: Consultation Response LTC, Pilgrims Lane, Chafford Hundred, Grays RM16 6RL
National Highways have confirmed postal responses dated up to and including Tues 20th June 2023 will be accepted.
Please note – Unless using a pre-paid envelope supplied by National Highways, respondents are required to pay appropriate delivery charges for responses sent to this address. - EMAIL – Send your comments to: consultationresponses@lowerthamescrossing.co.uk up until 23:59 on Mon 19th June 2023.
Please do only use one of the official channels above to respond. NH will not guarantee that responses to any other address or email will be included in their analysis. Check out our update on taking part for more info.
Remember we have until 23:59 on Monday 19th June 2023
Where to begin?
We’ve highlighted some questions to ask yourself about some of the main aspects to LTC below. We hope they will help you decide what you want to comment on, complete with handy links if you want to read up more about any of the topics before commenting.
Please remember to comment in your own words, no copying and pasting, we don’t want NH to try and declare responses as organised group response and count them as one.
Obviously you don’t have to comment on everything, if you don’t want, these are just suggestions. Also you don’t have to comment on them in this particular order, pick and choose and make your response your own!
NB. we will still be adding new info to the website, as we still have more info to publish, but we had to publish this update now rather than leaving it any later, so please do keep an eye out for other info that we’ll be sharing in case you wish to add any other comments on things in your responses, and you can always submit further comments!
First up, it may sound obvious, but don't forget to make it perfectly clear in your response that you oppose or strongly oppose the proposed Lower Thames Crossing, and explain your reasons.
Please bear in mind that National Highways will ask you about different areas, like south of the river or north of the river. Whilst you may not feel like you are in a position to comment on the opposite side of the river to where you are, please remember that being a crossing one side is reliant on the other! So if you strongly oppose it on your side please consider strongly opposing it on the other too, because it will be all or nothing for a crossing!
You may find it helpful to look at Nitrogen Deposition update and our Nitrogen Deposition changes update when considering your response to this aspect of the LTC Minor Refinements Consultation.
- Did it confuse you looking at the consultation booklet when it said the associated figures 3.8 and 3.9 show the land use changes, when the reality is it didn't show the land use changes south of the river?
- Although the proposed change in this consultation is about the removal of the Burham site from the Order Limits, do you think it should have been added to the Order Limits without any consultation?
- Do you wonder why the Burham site was not included in the Local Refinement Consultation?
- Do you have questions about why the Burham site was added between the last consultation and the DCO application being submitted?
- Considering the Countryside Stewardship is a government initiative, and government initiatives usually have long lead times, do you think it strange that it appears NH had no idea the landowner was applying for the Countryside Stewardship until now?
- Do you think it has been made clear why the Burham site is being proposed to be removed from the Order Limits?
- If the Burham site is being removed because of impacts to the farm business, why are other farms that would be impacted not being given similar consideration?
- Considering what NH/LTC have said is needed previously in regard to nitrogen deposition compensation, do you think it is adequate and acceptable to further reduce the amount of compensation land now?
- Do you have concerns about the impact nitrogen deposition compensation land would have on agriculture and food security?
- Do you think the nitrogen deposition effects should be reconsidered to take into account the two year delay of the start of construction of the LTC, if it goes ahead, to assess traffic levels two years later?
- Do you think NH/LTC have made it clear whether they have taken the Blue Bell Hill improvements and associated traffic into account when considering LTC impacts?
- Do you have concerns about how the nitrogen deposition assessment has been carried out?
- Do you have concerns about what else NH/LTC may have added or changed in the DCO application, since they added the Burham site without consulting?
You may find it helpful to view our Northern Tunnel Portal changes update when considering your response to this aspect of the LTC Minor Refinements Consultation
- Do you have any concerns about the proposed change to the northern tunnel portal?
- Do you wonder why it has taken until now for NH to decide the contractors may need extra leeway on the ratio of bored tunnel to cut and cover in the northern tunnel portal entrance?
- The change refers purely to the northern tunnel portal, but if they only use one tunnel boring machine it would be turned around and sent back south to north, so do you have any questions or concerns about whether any changes have or should be proposed in a similar way for the southern tunnel portal headwall?
- Do you believe the claim that there would be a reduction in material use associated to this change?
- Do you believe the claim there would be a reduction in construction waste in regard to this change?
- Do you think NH/LTC have made it clear what the effect that this change would have in regard to resilience of the project to climate change clear?
- Do you have concerns about the effect this change would have in regard to climate change?
- Do you think the change to carbon emissions associated with this change would be an increase, the same, or lower? What concerns do you have about this?
You may find it helpful to view our Revised Utility proposals (East Tilbury) update when considering your response to this aspect of the LTC Minor Refinements Consultation.
- Since this change relates to the temporary water pipeline to supply the tunnel boring machine(s), do you have any concerns about where the water supply would come from if they only use one tunnel boring machine and turn it round and send it back from south to north, since the machine needs a water supply as it runs 24/7 for a number of years?
- Does it puzzle you why the original temporary water pipeline proposal was a zigzag configuration?
- Do you have questions as to why the new configuration is a straighter line?
- Do you wonder why all of a sudden this change is being made, and why it wasn't done sooner?
- Do you think there is a connection between the removal of this land and the planning application for a large housing development in that area?
- Do you have any thoughts about the proposed LTC's vicinity to the new housing development, and any potential overlap?
- Do you have questions or comments about what happened in regard to the new bridge across the railway line near East Tilbury that NH promised in an LTC Task Force meeting?
- Do you have anything to say about why it has taken this long for such a change to the temporary water pipeline be proposed?
- Do you have anything to say about why it has taken so long for NH/LTC to relocate the Utility Logistics Hubs, and to join them together instead of having two different hubs?
- Do you have concerns about the changes to groundwater effects?
- Do you have any comments about why all of a sudden the utility company is requesting temporary use with permanent acquisition of rights, since that appears to be usual practice anyway, but they'd previous been happy with temporary use?
- Do you have any concerns about the utility changes?
You may find it helpful to view our Tunnel Boring Machine update when considering your response to the LTC Minor Refinements Consultation.
- Do you have any concerns about whether they use one or two Tunnel Boring Machines, if the proposed LTC goes ahead?
- Do you have concerns about the extra movement of the spoil out of the tunnel, if one machine is used and it has to be taken back to the north of the river?
- Are you concerned about the extra vehicles movements moving the spoil from south to north of the river may generate?
- Do you have concerns that any extra associated vehicles movements would increase rather than decrease the carbon emissions?
- Do you think you have been provided adequate info on what the claimed cost savings would be?
- Do you think you have been provided with adequate info about the claimed reduction of material use?
- Do you believe the claim that using one tunnel boring machine rather than two would reduce carbon emissions by 38,000 tonnes?
- Do you have any concerns about the slurry treatment and segment production facilities being proposed?
- Do you think NH/LTC have made it clear how they could start work on the tunnelling 10 months earlier if they use one tunnel boring machine?
- Do you believe they would get the tunnelling done quicker if they used one tunnel boring machine, or do you think it would likely take longer?
- Do you have any concerns about them having to turn the huge tunnel boring machine around on the south side of the river, if they only use one tunnel boring machine?
- Do you have concerns about impacts to local residents if only one tunnel boring machine is used, due to the tunnel boring machine having to be turned around, and the extra movements to get the spoil to the north of the river?
- Do you believe claims of them being able to use less staff, or do you think that they'd just being using the staff they did have for twice as long?
- Do you have any concerns about the potential change to staffing patterns?
- Do you think the consultation booklet has made it clear how long tunnelling would take, depending on whether one or two tunnel boring machines were to be used?
- Since NH/LTC state that it would be up to the contractors to decide whether one or two tunnel boring machines would be used, do you think NH/LTC should be questioning the shortlisted contractors on whether they will use 1 or 2 TBMs prior to awarding the tunnels contract?
- Do you have concerns about the 'minimal changes' to air quality that are mentioned?
- As tunnel boring machines run non-stop 24/7 for years, and need a constant supply of water, do you have concerns over where the water will come from if only one tunnel boring machine is used, considering previously there is an additional temporary water supply being planned north of the river?
- Do you think NH/LTC should have provided information on whether they may use one or two tunnel boring machines sooner than now?
- Following the sinkholes and bubbling hole issues on the HS2 project, do you have any additional concerns about the LTC tunnel, if the project goes ahead?
In this consultation National Highways/LTC have asked for other comments about the changes proposed to the LTC as part of the Minor Refinements Consultation.
Other things you may wish to consider commenting on:
- Did you think the Foreword in the consultation booklet was in any way misleading?
- Do you think that the proposed LTC would solve the problems suffered due to the Dartford Crossing?
- Do you think the proposed LTC would bring the current crossing back below design capacity?
- Do you have concerns that there wouldn't be adequate connections for traffic to migrate between the two crossings, if LTC goes ahead, when there are incidents?
- Do you consider claims of the proposed LTC being the 'greenest road ever built in the UK' to be greenwashing?
- Do you think the proposed LTC would connect or sever communities?
- Do you think the proposed LTC would enhance or destroy the natural environment, such as wildlife and woodlands?
- Do you think an estimated 6.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions is acceptable?
- Did you expect an update on how NH propose to reduce the carbon emissions, since they have stated if they can't reduce them the LTC won't go ahead?
- Do you have concerns that the consultation did not include further assessment of the LTC in regard to the newly set legal targets of the Environment Act?
- Do you have concerns that the consultation did not include further assessment and update in regard to the new legal requirement for Biodiversity Net Gain?
- Do you have concerns that the consultation has not addressed the fact the proposed LTC would be a 'Smart' Motorway by stealth if it goes ahead, despite government announcing new 'smart' motorways have been scrapped?
- Do you have concerns about the impacts to agricultural land at a time when we have serious food security issues?
- Do you have concerns that there has not been any addition of cross river active travel provision?
- Do you have concerns that there wouldn't be adequate connections to make a bus service viable using the LTC?
- Do you think there should have been an update in the consultation in regard to the Tilbury Link Road, since many RIS3 pipeline projects are being pushed back?
- Did you expect to see new information about the ever growing cost and dropping Benefit Cost Ratio of the LTC in this consultation?
- Do you have concerns the LTC would be poor value for money?
- Do you have concerns that the proposed LTC Accounting Officer Assessment is using info and data that is now nearly 3 years out of date?
- Do you have concerns that there has been no further assessment of whether the proposed LTC is still the best option, or do you think there are better and more sustainable alternatives?
- Do you still think the proposed LTC would meet scheme objectives and is fit for purpose?
- Do you think the LTC should be at least paused whilst the Transport Select Committee conclude their inquiry into the road investment programme, considering the proposed LTC would account for the largest chunk of the strategy?
- Do you think the proposed LTC should be paused whilst government update the roads policy (National Networks National Policy Statement), since the LTC is currently being judged against a policy that is outdated and does not take things like our legal commitment to Net Zero into consideration?
- Were you able to easily understand the information in the consultation booklet?
- Do you think the consultation was adequate?
- Do you think the consultation was long enough?
- Do you have any concerns about it being held at a time when Councils were still reforming after local elections?
- Did you manage to get all the info you needed to respond to the consultation?
- Do you think the consultation materials are clear and informative?
- Did you spot any mistakes in the consultation materials?
- Did it confuse you when the 'Impact of change' section on page 20 of the consultation booklet referred to reviewing details of impacts to soils on page 26, when in fact that info was on pages 27 and 28?
- What did you think of the consultation website?
- If you contacted NH/LTC via email how satisfied were you with the response?
- If you contacted NH/LTC by phone how satisfied were you?
- Did you have any issues with taking part in the consultation?
- Do you think NH/LTC should have been able to cover any of the proposed changes prior to submitting the DCO application?
- Do you feel having this additional consultation has added pressure and/or confusion to your reviewing the DCO application documents and trying to prepare to take part in the DCO Examination?
The LTC Minor Refinements Consultation booklet has generated more questions than answers, so we have had to submit a lot of questions to NH/LTC.
We have now added the responses we received from NH/LTC to the relevant updates on each proposed change:
Tunnel Boring Machine update (updated 16 June) – click here
Nitrogen Deposition compensation changes update (updated 16 June) – click here
Northern Tunnel Portal changes (updated 16 June) – click here
Revised utility proposals (East Tilbury)(updated 16 June) – click here
Please have your say in the LTC Minor Refinements Consultation by 23:59 on Mon 19th June 2023. Together we are stronger! Thanks.
Remember to ensure you use one of the official channels to submit your Lower Thames Crossing Minor Refinements Consultation response by 23:59 on Monday 19th June 2023.