The transport secretary has postponed the planning decision on another of National Highways’ major schemes 'to allow for further consultation on a number of outstanding issues'.
Currently costed at £50m-£100m, the scheme involves a new stretch of dual carriageway that would largely follows the existing A47 at the Wansford end but would cross to the north and run parallel to the existing A47 after the Scheduled Monument.
The existing single carriageway for westbound traffic across the A1 bridge at Wansford would be kept the same.
In a written ministerial statement published on Monday, Department for Transport (DfT) minister Huw Merriman MP said he had been asked by transport secretary Mark Harper to make a statement about National Highways’ application under the Planning Act 2008 for the proposed A47 Wansford to Sutton scheme.
Under the Planning Act 2008, the transport secretary must make his decision within three months of receipt of the examining authority’s report unless exercising a power to extend the deadline, which requires a statement to Parliament.
Mr Harper received the report on the scheme on 11 October 2022 and the deadline was 11 January 2023 but has been extended to 17 February ‘to allow for further consultation on a number of outstanding issues and to allow sufficient time for the analysis of responses to the consultation’.
Mr Merriman added that the decision to extend the deadline is ‘without prejudice to the decision on whether to grant development consent’.
During the second (2020-25) Road Investment Strategy (RSI 2), ministers have repeatedly delayed decisions on planning applications after receiving the report of the examining authority (the Planning Inspectorate).
In its Annual Assessment of National Highways' performance 2021 to 2022, the Office of Rail and Road noted that the company faced ongoing risks to delivery of its RIS 2 enhancements programme, including planning issues.
The assessment noted that the scheme’s planning examination was due to end in quarter 2 of 2022-23 and that it was at the time ‘on target’ to meet its start of works and open to traffic dates.
In response to the delay, National Highways said it remains confident in its proposals.
