Emma Waller, Planning & Policy Officer. KWT
Planning & Policy Officer for Kent Wildlife Trust, Emma Waller, says:
“We are profoundly disappointed by the government's approval of the Lower Thames Crossing, viewing it as a short-sighted scheme that poses significant threats to both climate and nature.
This development will lead to the destruction of irreplaceable habitats, including ancient woodlands and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Such loss is in direct contradiction to the Environment Act 2021, which established legally binding targets to protect our environment, clean up our air and rivers, and reverse the decline of biodiversity by 2030.
This approval sets a dangerous precedent for future infrastructure projects, and once again shows nature is not being considered as critical infrastructure, despite the fact nature is what maintains a ‘safe operating space for humanity’.
Kent Wildlife Trust remains committed to advocating for stronger mechanisms to protect and enhance biodiversity as a way of increasing resilience for future generations. We will continue to engage in the decision-making process to hold the government accountable for its environmental obligations to safeguard our communities as well as our wildlife.”
The impacts
Throughout the consultation period, Kent Wildlife Trust warned that the Lower Thames Crossing will not just threaten the surrounding wildlife but will have a far greater reach. This deeply flawed and short-sighted scheme will, in fact, emit 6.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, making it the highest carbon-emitting road scheme in the UK. This looks set to worsen air pollution, with nitrogen dioxide levels already exceeding legal limits in some areas – posing serious risks to both public health and the environment. Importantly, this will undoubtedly defy all commitments to reach net zero by 2050.
We have stressed throughout that while there is an undeniable need to address congestion at the Dartford Crossing, National Highways has indicated that the LTC will only reduce traffic there by 20%. Evidence from similar projects shows that new roads fail to ease congestion in the long term, instead inducing more traffic as increased capacity encourages greater use.
We are already seeing the ripple effects of the Lower Thames Crossing, with new road expansion proposals emerging as a direct consequence. A recent consultation on the A229 Blue Bell Hill Improvement Scheme – aiming to expand the route between Junction 3 of the M2 and Junction 6 of the M20 – was justified as a measure to ease congestion and handle the increased traffic expected from the Lower Thames Crossing. This completely contradicts the original justification for the crossing itself, which was supposedly to reduce congestion at the Dartford Crossing. Instead, the project is triggering a cycle of more roadbuilding, more traffic, and more environmental damage.
Evan Bowen-Jones, Chief Executive. KWT
Evan Bowen-Jones, Chief Executive, says:
“As the 2030 target to protect and restore 30% of land and sea approaches, it's clear that we need a more strategic approach to land-use planning. The decision to advance the Lower Thames Crossing project underscores a broader issue: nature should be viewed as critical infrastructure, not an obstacle to it.
To build a genuinely resilient future, we must make more thoughtful choices that position nature at the heart of sustainable infrastructure development. While the project director for Lower Thames Crossing has indicated plans to plant around 100 hectares of new woodland to mitigate the loss, this falls far short of the recommended 30:1 compensation ratio advised by Government Agencies and fails to account for irreplaceable ancient woodland.
Given the government's decision to green-light this project, National Highways now has an opportunity to do more. Despite the poor choice of route, we are committed to working with the project team to secure the best possible outcomes for nature under the circumstances.
Critical habitats cannot continue to be seen as a cheap route through a landscape. They are irreplaceable and vital to building our long-term resilience. Current economics are fundamentally skewed against nature, leading to systemic undervaluation of these precious ecosystems.
We will keep advocating for nature to be treated as essential infrastructure restored to levels that genuinely contribute to reducing our escalating economic risks linked to climate and ecological breakdown, regardless of the increasing political challenges we face.”
If you’re worried about the LTC as we are, we encourage you to keep speaking up – and help us to not let this set a precedent for yet more damaging infrastructure in the name of “growth”.