The biggest road scheme ever proposed is now about to enter a public examination of its DCO planning application. Please register to OBJECT to the £10bn Lower Thames Crossing by 11.59pm on Friday 24 February 2023. By registering your objection, you do not have to speak or submit evidence to the examination (unless you want to). You are simply registering that you do not agree with spending over £10 billion of public money on taking us backwards on climate change and destroying precious habitats and landscapes.
You only get a maximum of 500 words for your registration (and you can write much less if you wish). You can use any of the below in your "relevant representation", or the Thames Crossing Action Group (TCAG) have an excellent page on their website to help people with registering. Please write it in your own words. Deadline 11.59pm on Friday 24 February 2023.
The project would:
- increase traffic growth leading to more carbon emissions, and combined with the construction emissions (see below), the total carbon emissions from the scheme would be at least 6.6 million tonnes over its lifetime making this the biggest emitting scheme ever proposed (7.3.37 of the Combined Modelling and Appraisal Report);
- increase emissions from its construction by around an additional 2 million tonnes (at least, as National Highways are obscuring the real total with offsetting schemes), all within the critical fourth carbon budget when we need to achieve 68% reductions in UK carbon emissions by 2030 under our legally binding commitments under the Paris Agreement;
- not solve the congestion at the Dartford Crossing, as claimed by National Highways. The Dartford Crossing would be still be over capacity if the LTC were built. So the LTC fails to meet its own objectives.
- would impact on the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and its setting;
- increase air pollution and noise pollution which will have direct and indirect impacts on humans, the AONB, SACs, SSSI and endangered species;
- increase severance of local communities and the rights of way network.
- cost taxpayers at least £10 billion when the country cannot afford this.
- not be good value for money with a benefit-cost-ratio (BCR) of only 1.22 (meaning for every £1 spent, there will only be £1.22 of economic benefits) so is "Low" value for money according to government guidelines.
Register on the Planning Inspectorate website by 11.59pm on 24 February 2023.
Share