Lower Thames Crossing gets permission to be built

The plans for the Lower Thames Crossing have been approved by the government.

Today the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, granted development consent for the tunnel that will connect Kent and Essex.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by National Highways on 31 October 2022 and accepted for Examination on 28 November 2022. 

Following an Examination during which the public, Statutory Consultees and Interested Parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, recommendations were made to the Secretary of State on 20 March 2024.  

A decision was then set to be made in October 2024 but the deadline was pushed back to this year, in May. However, in January, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachael Reeves, gave her support to the 16 year old project, increasing the likelihood of today's approval.

The Lower Thames Crossing will be approximately 14.5 miles (23km) in length, and will connect to the existing road network from the A2/M2 to the M25 with two tunnels running beneath the River Thames. Construction is expected to start in 2026 or early 2027 ahead of a planned opening by 2032.

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