Brace yourselves for the Government Announcement
Don’t assume that the local election purdah constraints will prevent the Government making an announcement on the crossing. This is a national issue, and there is every chance that the decision will be announced THIS WEEK, possibly as early as TOMORROW.
EDIT: It is understood that an announcement WILL be made on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 12, 2017.
Those who the LTCA represent are NOT Nimbys – they all take the view that this doesn’t just affect them and their local communities – it affects the whole region, the UK economy, users of the M25 and the Dartford Crossing, as well as the people suffering from congestion and pollution in Dartford and Thurrock.
If it’s Option C, it’s the wrong decision. The consultation was a travesty, Dartford will still be over capacity, and the frequent stoppages for hazardous loads will continue. This would be a missed opportunity to fix it once and for all.
Whatever the decision, we need to know what mitigation measures they are going to put in place to safeguard the environment, protect the communities affected, to reduce pollution, to prevent Kent and Essex from being concreted over in the pursuit of growth at any price.