Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has slammed the “shocking” £1 billion planning process bill for a new Thames crossing - before it has even been given the go-ahead.
She stressed the £9billion Lower Thames Crossing, subject to an extensive planning process now amounting to 360,000 pages, was an example of why the planning system needed to be reformed to speed up and keep down the costs for major infrastructure projects.
The new road crossing under the Thames would link Gravesend in Kent to Tilbury in Essex.
But the timeline for a decision on the Government giving the green light for the £9 billion project has been extended to May.
Ms Haigh told LBC Radio: “That does not mean the decision won’t be made until them.
“It’s a quasi judicial decision as it’s a development consent order that I have to decide on.
“In order to do that I have to have confidence that the funding will be made available.
“I did not feel it was right to do that this side of the Spending Review.
“So once those decisions are made, the DCO decision can be made, but it will be made in the proper way.”
The Spending Review is set to conclude next spring, after the October 30 Budget.
Ms Haigh was pressed by presenter Nick Ferrari about reports that the bill for the planning process had already spiralled to £1 billion.
She responded: “It’s about £1 billion which is just shocking to get a project to the stage where it can apply for permission to be built.
“That is one of the reasons that we have set out that we want to radically change the way our planning and infrastructure works because it shouldn’t take as long as it does or cost as much money as it does to get to that stage.”
Asked about reports that the planning process involved 360,000 pages, she added: “That is correct, it’s been many many years. It’s a huge project.”
But she stressed the new Government wanted to streamline the planning process, for such major schemes, and for housing developments, including by making some stages run concurrently rather than consecutively.
“There is no doubt that it takes too long and is far too expensive,” she added.
“We have suffered from this for too long and that is one of the reasons why we have not got the growth that we need.”
Ms Haigh, in a written statement to Parliament on Monday, said it was “necessary” to extend the deadline for a decision on the Lower Thames Crossing application to May 23.
She stressed that the decision would give more time for the application to be considered, including “any decisions made as part of the spending review”.
The initial deadline for a decision on whether to grant a development consent order enabling National Highways to build the 14.3-mile road was initially scheduled for June 20, but was delayed until October 4 because of the general election.
Work on the project has been ongoing since 2009.
The Lower Thames Crossing proposal is aimed at reducing congestion on the Dartford Crossing with a new motorway-style road.
It would connect the A2 and M2 in Kent to the A13 and M25 in Essex via a 2.6-mile long tunnel under the Thames, which would be the UK’s longest road tunnel.
National Highways is aiming to start construction in 2026, with the road opening in 2032.
It says the plan will almost double road capacity across the Thames east of London, describing it as “our most ambitious scheme in 35 years”.
Thurrock Council in Essex has consistently opposed the project, citing negative economic, social and environmental impacts, but the leader of Kent’s Dartford Borough Council is in favour of the scheme.
Local campaigners Thames Crossing Action Group claim the crossing would be “hugely destructive and harmful”, and a waste of money.
