In a pre-Budget announcement, the transport secretary unveiled huge cuts and delays to transport schemes, including stalling the Lower Thames Crossing by two years.
Less than a week before the Budget on 15 March, Mark Harper announced that several National Highways schemes would be delayed with a knock-on effect across, forthcoming five-year spending strategies.
Projects on the strategic road network due to start work in the second (2020-25) road investment strategy (RIS), will now begin in the third RIS (2025-30), with RIS 3 schemes likely to be kicked back into RIS 4.
The Lower Thames Crossing (LTC), which had been expected to start in 2024, will be delayed by two years. The A27 Arundel and Port of Liverpool schemes will also be deferred until RIS 3.
Mr Harper said that while ministers ‘remain committed’ to the LTC, ‘the Development Consent Order process will be an important opportunity to consult further to ensure there is an effective and deliverable plan’.
The LTC is costed at up to £9bn and involves building a tunnel under the Thames to link Kent and Essex, along with associated roads.
Its application for development consent was resubmitted late last year, two years after National Highways had to withdraw an earlier application following advice from the Planning Inspectorate that it would reject it.
Mr Harper added: 'Other schemes earmarked for RIS 3 will continue to be developed, in line with the statutory process, but for consideration for inclusion during RIS 4 (beyond 2030). Given many of these schemes were previously expected towards the end of RIS 3, this extra time will help ensure better planned and efficient schemes can be deployed more effectively.’
Active travel
He added that ministers were still committed to spending at least a further £100m capital into active travel over the remainder of the spending period to 2025, 'as part of a total of around £3bn investment in active travel over this Parliament'.
In July of last year, the Government announced it was due to spend around £3.8bn from just April 2021 to March 2025 on active travel, under its second cycling and walking investment strategy.
HS2
Mr Harper also revealed that while the Government is prioritising HS2’s initial services between Old Oak Common in London and Birmingham Curzon Street it has to 'address affordability pressures to ensure the overall spending profile is manageable’.
He said ministers ‘will therefore take the time to ensure we have an affordable and deliverable station design, delivering Euston alongside high-speed infrastructure to Manchester’, implying that the London terminus will be delayed.
Mr Harper stated however that the Government remains ‘committed’ to delivering HS2 services to Euston.
He added that, while the Government is 'committed' to delivering HS2 Phase 2a between Birmingham and Crewe, construction will be 'rephased' by two years.
In January, chancellor Jeremy Hunt he did not ‘see any conceivable circumstances in which that would not end up at Euston’.
Louise Haigh MP, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, responding to further delays to HS2, said: 'The North is yet again being asked to pay the price for staggering Conservative failure. Conservative chaos and chronic indecision is holding back jobs, growth and costing the taxpayer.'
