PRESS RELEASE : A417 Missing Link development consent decision announced [November 2022]

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 16 November 2022.

Please note that, although the letter refers to the decision of “the Secretary of State”, the Rt Hon Mark Harper has not personally been involved in this decision, which has in practice been allocated to and taken by the Minister of State for Transport, Hugh Merriman, but by law has to be issued in the name of the Secretary of State. Accordingly, the letter refers to the Secretary of State throughout.

The proposed scheme would provide a dual carriageway to improve the current “Missing Link” section of single carriageway of the A417 between Cowley roundabout and Crickley Hill.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by National Highways on 01 June 2021 and accepted for Examination on 29 June 2021.

Following an Examination during which the public, Statutory Consultees and Interested Parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, recommendations were made to the Secretary of State on 16 August 2022.

This is the 119th Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and 46th transport application to have been examined by The Planning Inspectorate within the timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008.

The Planning Inspectorate’s interim Chief Executive, Navees Rahman said:

“The Planning Inspectorate has now examined more than 100 nationally significant infrastructure projects since the Planning Act 2008 process was introduced, ensuring local communities, the local authority and other interested parties have had the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them.

“The Examining Authority listened and gave full consideration to all local views and the evidence gathered during the Examination before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State.”

The decision, the recommendation made by the Examining Authority to the Secretary of State for Transport and the evidence considered by the Examining Authority in reaching its recommendation are publicly available on the project pages of the National Infrastructure Planning website.