Due to botching their rushed and secretive consultations last year, National Highways are now consulting on 32 changes to their DCO planning application midway through the already overloaded 6-month examination. What a mess! Please respond to this new consultation to object to this climate and nature busting scheme, and the way National Highways are bulldozing it through. The consultation ends on Monday 27 February 2023 at 11.59pm.

This huge project is actually EIGHT separate schemes, all bundled together. The complex consultation documents are here, but please use any of the below bullet points in your consultation response if you wish. Email your objection to changeconsultationA66NTP@nationalhighways.co.uk by 27 Feb 2023.

• It is not acceptable or fair to submit an inadequately prepared DCO application, and then make substantial changes midway through an already overloaded examination;
• The changes materially change the current DCO application, and National Highways should withdraw the current DCO application, and reconsider the entire scheme.
• A four week consultation for such a complicated project, made up of 8 separate schemes with 32 changes, is far too short.
• National Highways have not assessed the environmental impacts of the 32 changes properly, especially the traffic and carbon impacts. There is no cumulative assessment of the carbon impacts, only an assertion that individually none of the changes are significant.

The project would:

• increase traffic causing additional carbon emissions of 2,190,452 tonnes over its lifetime; 
• result in 518,562 tonnes of carbon emissions from construction, all within the fourth carbon budget when we need to achieve a 68% reduction in emissions by 2030 to meet our obligations under the Paris Agreement; 
• in total, increase emissions by at least 2,709,014 tonnes, taking us backwards on achieving net zero;
• directly impact on the River Eden Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the habitats of many endangered species;
• directly impact on the North Pennines 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, SAC, SSSI and species, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park;
• increase severance of local communities and the rights of way network;
• impact on heritage assets.

Email your comments to changeconsultationA66NTP@nationalhighways.co.uk by 27 Feb 2023.