Thurrock Council’s response to LTC Design Consultation
Thurrock Council’s response to LTC Design Consultation will be put before the General Services Committee this evening (Mon 3rd August 2020) before being submitted as their official response.
Details of the meeting can be found on the Thurrock Council website here.
The full draft version of the council’s response to the LTC Design Refinement Consultation can be found here.
The report to the General Services Committe can be found here
And the direct link to the Executive Summary of the Response is here but we’ve also embedded it below for your ease of a quick overview of the council’s response. Obviously if you want more detail then click through and read the full draft version, linked above!
Thurrock Council's Executive Summary of their draft response to the LTC Design Consultation
The report and draft response both show Thurrock Council remaining opposed to the proposed Lower Thames Crossing. In addition to observations and concerns over the actual design changes, they express concerns over the consultation being held so soon after the Supplementary Consultation, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as voicing concerns about the adequacy of technical engagement to date and the time available to allow a period of meaningful technical review and engagement prior to the submission of the DCO application.
As a local authority the council can present concerns over the inadequacies of consultation to the Planning Inspectorate at DCO stage. We have and continue to log our concerns over the inadequacies of all the LTC consultations, and will ensure the Council has copies of our concerns to include when they report to the Planning Inspectorate. Anyone else in Thurrock wishing to provide examples of inadequacies of the LTC consultations can send them to Thurrock Council or email LTCAdmin@thurrock.gov.uk People in other areas should send them to their own local authority. We are currently trying to obtain the best contact details for other local authorities for submission of evidence of inadequacies of the LTC consultation, and will share them as we are able to get hold of them.
Additonal info about the GSC meeting
The meeting will be held at 6.00 pm on 3 August 2020. Due to current government guidance on social-distancing and the COVID-19 virus, this meeting will not be open for members of the public to attend. Arrangements have been made for the press and public to watch the meeting live via the Council’s online webcast channel: https://youtu.be/VQZYTjmmLPU.
Related
Cllr Mark Coxshall will also present a report at the same General Services Committee meeting proposing the termination of the LTC Task Force – www.thamescrossingactiongroup.com/ltc-task-force-under-threat/. If they truly remain opposed to the LTC then there is still work that the LTC Task Force can be doing. We will be watching the meeting live online with interest as to whether Thurrock Council decide to approve this proposal or not.
Thurrock Nub News coverage – https://thurrock.nub.news/n/council-leaders-set-to-condemn-lower-thames-crossing-39refinements39-and-restate-opposition-to-scheme-at-same-meeting-when-it-also-wants-to-scrap-crossing-task-force