Sparkford to Ilchester Dualling Scheme in This Edition Newsletter – Summer 2019
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If you need help accessing this or any other Highways England information, please call 0300 123 5000 and we will help you. A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling scheme In this edition Newsletter – summer 2019 Project update Scheme timeline Ecology surveys Highways England motorway campaign Corridor update Welcome to the A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling scheme newsletter. This provides a project update, information about ongoing work and detail about the A303/A358 corridor. Project update Since we last provided an update in the winter 2018 newsletter, the A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling scheme has been progressing through the Examination period of the Development Consent Order (DCO) process. This is the planning process required for the scheme, where the DCO application must be approved before the scheme construction can commence. On 12 June 2019 the DCO Examination for the A303 Sparkford to Ilchester dualling scheme closed. The next step in the DCO process will be for the Planning Inspectorate to write a report about the Examination for the Secretary of State for Transport. This report will include a recommendation on whether to refuse or grant the DCO. The report from the Planning Inspectorate will be issued to the Secretary of State for Transport by the end of September 2019. A three-month period will then commence enabling the Secretary of State to decide whether to grant or refuse the DCO. This means a decision should be announced by the end of 2019. The decision will be published alongside the Planning Inspectorate report on the National Infrastructure Planning website. If you would like any more information on the DCO process the project is going through please visit the National Infrastructure Planning website 1 Scheme timeline The timeline below shows the key milestones for the project and the next steps for the scheme now the Examination has closed. Date Event 2014 Scheme included in the Roads Investment Strategy 2015 - 2016 Route identification 15 February - 29 March 2017 Non-statutory consultation on route options October 2017 Announcement of preferred route 26 January - 9 March 2018 Statutory consultation on preferred route 27 July 2018 Submitted DCO (planning application) 12 December 2019 DCO examination commenced 12 June 2019 DCO examination closed Planning Inspectorate submit Examination report to Secretary of State September 2019 for Transport December 2019 Secretary of State for Transport DCO decision 2020 Start of Works, subject to the DCO being granted 2022/23 Open to traffic Ecology surveys Highways England motorway campaign Over the summer period we’ll be completing some final ecology surveys in the local area. These surveys will help complete the environmental information we already have on protected species that may exist in the area. If we do find any protected species, we have details on how we will deal with this in our DCO application, which can be viewed on the Planning Inspectorate page for the scheme. We will be undertaking the following surveys this summer: England’s motorways connect people to families and friends, workers to jobs and businesses Great Crested Newts to their customers. Whatever part of England’s Bats motorways you are using, we want you to stay Breeding birds safe, follow the signs and keep us all moving. Hedgerows. England’s motorways are being upgraded. We now use technology to help monitor and manage the flow of traffic so you have a safer, smoother journey. To learn more about how to stay safe on England’s motorways, visit our campaign website: http://www.highwaysengland.co.uk/motorways 2 A500 M1 Stoke-on-Trent A38 Nottingham A52 Derby A50 A453 A483 A5 A38 A42 A46 Norwich M54 A47 A47 A458 A5 M42 Leicester M6 Toll A1 A12 M6 M69 Peterborough M6 Birmingham A5 A1(M) A11 A14 M5 M42 Coventry A14 A49 A428 Cambridge Worcester A5 A46 A421 A11 Ipswich A1 M40 A14 A12 M50 A43 Milton Keynes A120 A40 M1 A1(M) A120 A5 A417 A40 Gloucester Oxford M11 M25 M5 A34 M40 A12 M48 A419 Corridor update M4 Swindon Southend-on-Sea A404 A13 The A303 Sparkford to IlchesterM49 dualling scheme M4is just one of our three planned projectsM4 designed to improve the A303 / A358 corridor. Creating a high-quality dual carriageway link between the south east Reading London and south west. Bristol M32 M4 M2 A249 A34 A36 M26 A2 A303 M5 Stonehenge M3 M25 Winterbourne Stoke M20 Amesbury M23 3 A3 Crawley Berwick Down A20 Taunton Sparkford A21 Podimore A303 A36 Folkestone 2 A358 A259 Illchester A23 1 A31 Southelds Yeovil A3(M) A27 A27 A259 Exeter Brighton A30 A30 A35 Diagrammatic map not to scale © Crown copyright and database rights 2019 OS 100030649 Here is a summary of what’s happening with each of the other two schemes at present: TorquayA358 Taunton to Southfields Dualling scheme A303 Stonehenge – Amesbury to Berwick The A358 Taunton to Southfields Dualling scheme Down scheme Plymouth A38 recently selected the route they wish to progress The A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme is A30 the scheme with; this is the Pink Modified option. in the middle of the planning application process. The scheme will now progress to a statutory public As a nationally significant infrastructure project we consultation ahead of making a Development have applied for a Development Consent Order, Consent Order. which was accepted for examination in November More details about the A358 can be found on the 2018. scheme website. More details can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. For further information on the scheme: A303sparkfordtoilchesterdualling@highwaysengland. co.uk https://highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/a303- sparkford-to-ilchester/ 0300 123 5000 If you need help accessing this or any other Highways England information, please call 0300 123 5000 and we will help you. BRS19_0135 3.