Holmes & Hills Solicitors is currently advising a number of property and land owners who could potentially be affected by the Lower Thames Crossing Scheme, an NSIPs project led by Highways England.
The last works to ease congestion at the M25 Thames crossing involved the completion of the four lane Queen Elizabeth II bridge, opened in 1991, followed by the removal of the toll booths in 2014. However, the crossing remains one of the pinch points of the UK road infrastructure, being the only road crossing over the River Thames, east of London.
The M25 in the east provides a vital commercial link for connecting the ports of Dover, Tilbury, London Gateway and Medway to the wider UK road network. Without the Thames crossing, journeys times would be materially increased.
However, when the QE2 bridge is forced to close, due to accidents, inclement weather, or other incidents, there is no easy diversion and traffic jams can build, causing hours of delays for motorists. While this causes issues for commercial businesses and inconvenience for commuters, there is also an environmental cost caused by idling engines.
The current infrastructure has capacity for 135,000 vehicles per day, but is currently averaging 150,000 vehicles per day, with a predicted volume of 180,000 per day by 2042. With this in mind, there have been repeated calls for an additional crossing to help ease the pressure on the existing infrastructure.
Having held consultations on how a new crossing would be facilitated, the scheme will comprise of tunnels rather than a bridge to span the River Thames.
The scheme, in its current form, would connect the A2/M2 to the south of the river, to the A13 and the M25 to the north. The connecting road is envisaged to be approximately 14.3 miles, incorporating what will be the longest road tunnels in the UK. The 2.6 mile tunnels will run beneath the river Thames, one northbound, and one southbound.
In addition to the creation of the new road and tunnels, the scheme proposes a variety of local community works to improve pedestrian access in the affected areas. These works include new or improved pathways and bridges for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders.
Specialist CPO lawyers at Holmes & Hills are following the scheme closely, and will continue to advise and update clients as to the key decisions and announcements, as and when appropriate.
Following on from the National Highways submission of a Development Consent Order with regard to the proposed Lower Thames Crossing scheme, Holmes & Hills issued advice to property and landowners.
Preliminary meeting to set out the timetable of events for the scheme has been set.
The examination of the application has been completed and conclusions and recommendations have been sent to the Secretary of State for Transport.
Details of the extension to the decision deadline for the Lower Thames Crossing, now expected to be made in 2025.
On 25th March 2025, the government gave the green light to the Lower Thames Crossing scheme.
As at 10 April 2025 Holmes & Hills is aware that National Highways has started to serve statutory notices on landowners affected by the approved Lower Thames Crossing Scheme. If you have received such notices and need advice on your next steps, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated team of specialist compulsory purchase and development consent order solicitors who will be pleased to help.
As at 13 May 2025, Holmes & Hills LLP has fielded a number of enquiries from landowners who have been served with statutory notices in connection with the approved Lower Thames Crossing Scheme, including ‘Schedule 3’ requests for information from National Highways. If you have received such notices and need advice on your next steps, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated team of specialist compulsory purchase and development consent order solicitors who will be pleased to help.
Development Consent was granted for the Lower Thames Crossing back in March 2025. The Lower Thames Crossing is a new 23 km length of highway connecting into the existing road network in Kent and Essex and incorporating two new road tunnels beneath the Thames, the aim being to improve highway capacity and relieve congestion. The original project costs were estimated at £9.6bn. The Financial Times reported that by December 2025 the project costs had increased closer to £11bn. Despite the Government commitment of a further £891m of taxpayer money to the scheme in the Autumn 2025 Budget, it is understood that full funding for the project has been delayed by continuing searches for private finance support, with the Treasury hoping to find a partner willing to add further funds to facilitate delivery of the Scheme.
In December 2025 a Department of Transport Director was appointed as senior responsible owner for the project, a move which apparently removes strategic spending control over the project from The National Highways Road programme and places overarching control for project costs with Government Ministers. The announcement also indicates that the current project completion date has now extended from 2032 to 2034.
If you have land which is affected by the Lower Thames Crossing Proposals and want advice on how to protect your interests please do not hesitate to contact one of our dedicated compulsory purchase and development consent order specialist solicitors.
The CPO division forms part of Holmes & Hills’ highly respected Planning Department, recently recognised as one of the largest and fastest growing Planning Law Departments in the country.
The CPO team offer legal advice on development consent orders, compulsory purchase orders and blight claims, and are currently advising clients, or have recently advised clients, on legal issues related to various Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) such as:
If you are concerned about how the Lower Thames Crossing may affect your property or land, or if you have any concerns regarding any other NSIP scheme, Holmes & Hills’ CPO solicitors can offer advice and support.
Call us on 01206 593933 today to speak with one of our specialist Compulsory Purchase solicitors. Or complete the form below.
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