I can just remember crossing the Thames on the Gravesend - Tilbury Ferry in the early 1960s heading from Kent to visit my Grandmother in Brentwood. It was an adventure and probably my first memory of queuing traffic. I’ve had many since, creeping towards the Dartford River Crossing.
The strategic importance of this transport link is obvious and over time it has grown from the first tunnel opening in 1963, the second tunnel in 1980 and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in 1991.
We’ve been awaiting the next installment of this story and now consultation on the Lower Thames Crossing is live and here’s the link.
Such a large and significant development proposal is already generating strong reactions – here’s some initial media coverage – focusing on the selection of ‘option C’. This was always the option that looked likely to have the greatest impact on the wildlife of the Thames estuary, including areas considered important enough to be protected at the European level. That will be firmly at the front of our minds as we scrutinise the variants of the design within this option and the implications of the overall proposal.
The Thames estuary is, without doubt, the place most featured in this blog – and for good reason. It is a wetland of global significance for wildlife and a winter home to hundreds of thousands of wildfowl and wading birds – its survival in the face of intense development pressure is a huge testament to the generations of conservationists and local people who have tirelessly campaigned for its protection.
One of our biggest concerns will be the likely impact on our Shorne Marshes nature reserve. The variants have clear differences in terms of impact and it will take a little time fully to understand the scale and significance of the damage that could be caused.
Shorne Marshes - a wader's eye view. Picture credit: Rolf Williams, RSPBImages.
Our Shorne Marshes reserve is now one of the best areas of grazing marshes alongside the Thames, home to important numbers of nesting waders like lapwings and redshanks. This historic and wildlife-rich landscape is a scarce and precious place and its safe future will be our priority.
Follow me on twitter