My team and I attended the November public consultation event on the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) at St Mary Magdalene, North Ockendon, and introduced those residents most affected by the new road to the project’s Chief Executive, Tim. 

We are encouraging residents to contribute to the ten-week consultation - visit www.lowerthamescrossing.co.uk/haveyoursay and make your views known by 20 December. We are currently putting together our own submission which we shall publish.

Since the consultation launched I have been encouraging constituents to share their views about the planned route and the project itself either with me or directly with the consultation team. I am keen to make the case for the LTC to be delivered in a way that limits any negative impact on the local community and environment and that the maximum value, in terms of mitigation and complimentary works, is extracted for our local area.

My team have been engaging in the parliamentary fora held by LTC and we have also introduced the Chief Executive to representatives from Thames Chase Community Forest to see what mitigation works the forest team may extract from the project, such as improved access to their site, landscaping and potential for a new tree nursery. 

We have stressed the need to engage the local workforce during the construction of the scheme, particularly through local schools and colleges to develop a skills base for such a significant civil engineering project. The project team have been made aware of Havering College's construction department and athe nearby Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME). I am pleased to say that they are already in discussion and I have informed the Principal of Havering College of our introduction and will ensure that the two are in contact with one and other.

My caseworker, Alex, recently attended a meeting with the project team and the Council’s transport planning department where traffic issues were discussed in greater detail.  I understand that the Council are seeking further modelling from the project team with regard to the scheme’s impact on strategic junctions within the constituency as well as additional data with regard to the change of traffic flows between now and the year of opening. Each of these data sets will be published next year and I look forward to further information from the Council in this regard. I shall also be requesting an Essex-region examination of these issues, as is being coordinated in Kent.

Within my consultation response I shall also be seeking further information on traffic mitigation measures to be introduced during construction, particularly around B186 North Road, Ockendon Road and St. Mary’s Lane where new bridges are proposed. I recently met the council’s Chief Executive and Leader to ensure that we have a coordinated response on these matters.