By rosebell
As the first major infrastructure project to use a new scheme to reduce environmental red tape, the Lower Thames Crossing is under the government’s Plan for Change and the project is due to include the UK’s longest road tunnel, will have one lead environmental body in charge.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) says the single point of contact for the developer will cut project timelines and costs.
“The new system will end the merry-go-round of developers dealing with multiple, overlapping authorities. Instead, a lead environmental regulator will deliver a single, co-ordinated response. This will cut the time it takes to meet planning permission requirements and approvals for environmental plans,” Defra said.
In order to providing co-ordinated advice, Natural England will fill the role for the Lower Thames Crossing and work with the Environment Agency and Marine Management Organisation, whereas any challenges that cannot be resolved between the regulators will be passed to Defra’s new Infrastructure Board.
According to Natural England chief executive Marian Spain: “Infrastructure, housing and nature are not competing interests. Sustainable development and nature recovery must go hand in hand, and urgent action is needed to restore our depleted nature and build desperately needed homes and infrastructure.”
“The new approach would “help us to move at pace, while ensuring we protect the natural environment and meet our environmental commitments,” stated Matt Palmer, Executive Director, Lower Thames Crossing executive director Matt Palmer.
With the aim of refining the new approach to rolling it out to all major developments, the government is going to benefit insights gained from the Lower Thames Crossing and a series of other pilots.
Linking Kent and Essex, the Lower Thames Crossing is slated to be a new 23km road crossing and the twin 4.1km-long tunnels will link the A2 in Kent with the A13 and M25 in Essex.
