Representation by Claire Richardson
- Date submitted
- 9 January 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I would like to make a representation opposing the LTC on the following points, where I feel this project in this location will not stand up to scrutiny • The inadequacy of the LTC to provide significant relief to Dartford crossing congestion. • The notion that the same issues at Dartford will be spread further east in Gravesham; impacts on local people, schools and traffic with worsening air quality. • The inadequacy of network resilience in worst-case conditions; the frequency of accidents at Dartford, predicted accidents on the LTC, how traffic will migrate between crossings when there are complete closures; how traffic will impact A2/M2/Blue Bell Hill during construction and when LTC is operational (especially without any upgrade to Blue Bell Hill). • The sheer scale of the LTC junction on the A2, with reduction of the M2 to 2 lanes in either direction; the built-in bottle-neck at this location. • The ever-rising costs of the project. • Large adverse impacts to landscape, open views, biodiversity and wildlife. • The safety of using the LTC with lack of hard-shoulders and reliance on smart technology. • The lack of obvious benefits to local communities that will be directly impacted by the LTC. • The overall impacts of construction and future operation. • The irreversible nature of the project if built. I would also like to consider in my representation: • The purposes of Green Belt. • The unpublicised merits of other options that have been discounted by National Highways before statutory consultation. If possible, (and as well as referring to DCO documents) I would like to refer to an April 2013 report entitled ‘Review of Lower Thames Crossing Options: Final Review Report (conducted by AECOM for the Department for Transport), which I feel is a relevant and objective document. • Where possible, I would also like to use my own images of the local area to illustrate points.