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| Stephen collecting signatures for a petition against Option C |
Stephen Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, has maintained his opposition to Option C in the Lower Thames Crossing consultation after the Department for Transport discard Option B.
It was announced recently that Option B, which would connect the A2 Swanscombe Peninsula with the A1089, would be discarded due to limited support for the plan in the feedback on the consultation and the belief that it would frustrate plans for development in the area.
The remaining options are:
·
Option A at the site of the existing A282
Dartford-Thurrock crossing;
·
Option C connecting the M2 with the A13 and the M25
between junctions 29 and 30;
·
A variant to Option C that would additionally widen the
A229 between the M2 and M20.
Mr Metcalfe, listening to the views of his constituents in South Basildon and East Thurrock, has vehemently opposed Option C since its inception due to the significant local impact it would have.
He commented: “I am of course disappointed that Option C was not discarded in response to the consultation. I do not believe that either Option C, or A, are the right ones for the local area or for the country and I will continue to make the case that a wider range of alternatives are needed.”
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “We had over 5,700 responses to the consultation and we have carefully considered each of them. Ruling out the least attractive option now gives some clarity for local residents and businesses.”
“We are committed to making a decision on the location of the new crossing as soon as possible, but we recognise that whatever crossing location is chosen it will have significant impact for people in the area and the economy. These are tough decisions to be made and must not be taken lightly.”
The government is carrying out further work in the light of the consultation feedback to understand the possible impacts on the local areas of the remaining options. This work will also consider improvements to the surrounding routes and look at how impact on the environment may be mitigated.
The Department for Transport have stated that a further announcement regarding the consideration of Options A and C (including Cvariant) will be made as soon as possible.
Mr Metcalfe added: “I hope that the next announcement will come soon and that it will have taken into account the strength of feeling against these proposals.”
In the meantime, the government remains committed to introducing ‘free flow’ charging at the Dartford-Thurrock crossing from October 2014 to alleviate congestion in the short term. The system will remove the existing toll booths and allow users to pay remotely, similar to the London congestion charge.
