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Thames Crossing delay is deeply disappointing, says Logistics UK

[ October 8, 2024   //   ]

Logistics UK has described the government’s decision to postpone a decision on whether to build the Lower Thames Crossing as “deeply concerning”.

Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh said on 7 October that she would delay until at least May 2025 the decision on the Development Consent Order (DCO) for the route, which would link the port of Tilbury with the A2 in Kent.

Logistics UK chief executive David Wells the decision to delay “is deeply concerning and runs counter to what the new government has said about getting Britain building again”. 

He added that the crossing is nationally significant and vital for improving connections between the North, the Midlands and the Channel ports, where the Short Straits crossings between England and France handle over half of all goods traded between Great Britain and mainland Europe.

“The scheme has already been stuck in the planning stages for over a decade and this further delay will see businesses and consumers continuing to shoulder the financial burden that congestion at the Dartford Crossing costs the UK economy every year in lost productivity,” Wells explained.

He said that 40% of journeys across the existing Dartford Crossing are freight vehicles.

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