BACK in March, No to Thames Crossing campaigner, George Abbott addressed a very busy rally in the centre of Grays as part of a concerted campaign against a new Thames Crossing in Thurrock.
Four months later, we returned to the same location to ask George whether any progress had been made.
Further statement from No to Thames Crossing
Whilst the group remain committed to no further crossings in Thurrock the Minister, Andrew Jones during a recent visit stated clearly that the Government have no intention of revisiting previous options, D or E. He confirmed that Options A & C remain open for consideration.
While the group carry on with backing the ‘NO’ ethos, one of our MP’s Jackie Doyle Price has clearly said "saying no is not an option".
Since then the group have spent countless hours on both sides of the Thames, scouring Highways England own documentation with an aim to find an alternative within the remit of what the Government deem ‘on the table’.
We found option A14 to offer up the best by-pass solution to the existing A282 and sits well within the existing m25 corridor. It offers a Motorway to motorway experience, it has the same capacity as the existing 4 lane M25, it reduces light, noise and air pollution, and would take at least 30% of the traffic away from current crossing.
Option A14 tunnel portal is proposed to be situated north of M25 J30 (ie Belhus / North Ockendon area). Residents of West Thurrock, just as much as those in Dartford will see increases with their quality of life if option A14 was to go ahead.
How can carving up 12 miles of green belt, uprooting many homes, splitting communities, across the whole of Thurrock:-
Tilbury, East Tilbury. West Tilbury, Chadwell St Mary, Stanford Le hope, Horndon, Orsett, Bulphan, Stifford Clays, Ockendon, Belhus etc..
with increased light, noise and uncontrollable air pollution even be considered a quality alternative?
Option C is not a viable solution, it never has been and never will be. Even the port of Tilbury have suggested huge modifications to the original option c plans to make it fit better with their expansion plans. There’s still no public response to that either!
Highways England have even stated to the group that Option C would only be a short term solution with an further alternative likely to be needed within 10 years. Highways England have also stated that option C would at best only take 14% of traffic away from the current crossing leaving Dartford Crossing still at over capacity.
The campaign group wishes to hold a meeting with the council to ensure we remain aligned, despite our local MP attempting to muddy the waters and cause division.
This does not mean we support a new crossing in Thurrock, but just like Thurrock Council have stated, if we are faced with no alternative we want to ensure Thurrock residents have the opportunity having done our homework, to state which would be the least harmful, and have the least impact on the whole of Thurrock, our health, our greenbelt and our communities.
The group remain focused to delivering a better future for all of Thurrock, not just sections of it. This includes a sustainable approach to growth and wealth for the Borough.
In the past Thurrock has been developed within an inch of its life, housing developments, industrial sites & regional shopping centres created, all with limited investment in local infrastructure & public services. This needs to change and investment needs to be made to ensure the Borough can catch up with mistakes have already made.
This effects each and every one of us. We all have a vested interest in this.
Thurrock residents, young and old will be affected, stand up and be counted for what you want for your Borough.
If you don’t comment your voice will go unheard! For more info about Option A14 please check the website http://www.ltca.uk/option-a14.html Any questions can be routed via the website.
Key Points
We believe this variant of Route Option A14 would:
Reduce traffic on the existing crossing by at least 30% by segregating through traffic into an expressway tunnel
Reduce congestion at junctions 2, 1a, 1b, and 30
Enable improvement of air quality for Dartford through tunnel exhaust containment and treatment
Free-up the existing crossings for local traffic in Dartford and Thurrock
Provide road network resilience in the event of incidents
Keep long distance freight traffic contained within the designated route between the channel ports and the north, keeping it off our local roads
