Lower Thames Crossing position statement

National Highways (previously named Highways England) submitted a revised Development Consent Order (DCO) application for their Lower Thames Crossing proposals to the Planning Inspectorate in October 2022.

The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities then appointed a panel of inspectors (called the Examining Authority) to lead a 6-month Examination which took place between 20 June 2023 and 20 December 2023.

Following the close of the Examination, the Examining Authority had three months to produce a recommendation report to the Secretary of State for Transport on whether development consent should be granted. The Examining Authority’s report on the Lower Thames Crossing Development Consent Order was received by the Secretary of State for Transport on 20 March 2024.

The original deadline for the Secretary of State for Transport to make a decision on National Highways’ application was the 20 June 2024. However, this original deadline was initially extended until the 4 October 2024 due to the General Election and to allow appropriate time for any new Secretary of State to consider the application.

Nevertheless, a ministerial statement published by the Secretary of State for Transport on the 7 October 2024 announced that the deadline for the decision is to be further extended to 23 May 2025 in order to allow more time for the application to be considered further, including any decisions made as part of the spending review.

Read the full statement.

The Development Consent Order was officially granted on 25 March 2025 by the Secretary of State for Transport. Since then, National Highways has made significant progress in the planning, detailed design and early enabling works for the new road. This includes procuring the tunnel-boring machines ready to start tunnelling in 2028, completing the first Kent nature area, and beginning a large programme of archaeological investigations.

In May 2026, the Highways (Financing) Bill was announced as part of the King’s Speech. This will enable the Lower Thames Crossing to be privately financed, owned and operated, all overseen by a regulator.

Our role is now one of consultee to the planning and detailed design process, and teams across the council are working to ensure the best outcomes for Kent are delivered by the project.

Find out more about the Lower Thames Crossing project.