THURROCK Council is poised to reaffirm its opposition to a major new river crossing in a letter to Highways England.

The government agency launched a new consultation on the Lower Thames Crossing at the end of June after carrying out refinements to its design, including minor changes to the road layout and updated paths for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

In a draft letter, Thurrock Council will say it continues to oppose the project which will cut through the middle of the borough.

The letter will highlight a range of concerns the council has with the latest design, including noise barriers that will "give rise to significant impacts for residents living in close proximity", and the updated path which "do not form part of a comprehensive strategy" for travel.

The council has also raised concerns over the way the consultation has been carried out.

The council's actions reflect the tone set by the new chairman of its Lower Thames Crossing Task Force - reported on Thurrock Nub News last week.

Cllr Fraser Massey delivered a damning indictment of the crossing proposals and the consultation. Ironically, a couple of days later senior members of the council announced they wanted to scrap the task force.

That proposal will be debated at next week's General Services Committee at the same time the letter to Highways England comes up for approval.

The report expressing continued opposition to the crossing explains there are "significant issues" with the consultation due to it being held during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It says: "The Council is concerned that not only will directly affected residents and the wider community be at a disadvantage in meaningfully engaging with the 'virtual' Design Refinement Consultation, for example, due to lack of ability to hold 'in person' exhibitions, view notices in public locations, inspect hard copies of vital, complex documents and plans, but also that this consultation is being unnecessarily rushed by Highways England and there is significant risk of consultation fatigue.

"The public will once again need to gain a rapid understanding of what is a highly complex scheme but on this occasion, it is during a period when there are higher priority matters and concerns affecting people's health, well-being and in many cases, their ability to work resulting in significant personal and financial challenges."

Thurrock Council has been pushing back against the scheme for a number of years and even considered legal action against Highways England at the end of 2018.

At the time, council leader Rob Gledhill branded the project "abysmal" and warned it would "tear through the heart of Thurrock and create a visible scar on our landscape."

He said: "Contrary to Highways England's claims that the scheme will enable sustainable local development and strengthen and connect local communities, it will in fact just smash through greenbelt land, damage development opportunities and effectively cut the borough in half.

"There is a clear absence of any real connectivity improvements here, only the threat of a motorway and absolutely nothing that will benefit our residents as has been intimated by Highways England. In fact, this proposal will have a completely unacceptable impact on Thurrock."