There were no apologies for absence received.

Councillor Fraser Massey was elected Chair of the LTC Task Force 2020/21 with 5 votes.

Councillor Gerard Rice was elected as Vice-Chair of the LTC Task Force 2020/21 with the agreement of the Task Force.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Lower Thames Crossing Task Force meeting held on 16 March 2020.

The Resident Representative stated that his name had been missed from the attendance list.

With this amendment, the minutes from Lower Thames Crossing Task Force held on 16 March 2020 were approved as a true and correct record.

To receive additional items that the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no items of urgent business.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Terms of Reference were noted by the Lower Thames Crossing Task Force.

Mr Protheroe began his presentation by introducing himself and stating that he was the Development Director for Cascade, who worked on behalf of Highways England (HE). He introduced the design refinement consultation that was currently taking place and stated that he would be providing an overview to the consultation through his presentation, and wanted as many responses from stakeholders and residents as possible. He moved on and stated that the proposed LTC would be the biggest investment in Kent and Essex since the M25, and the Department for Transport and Highways England believed it would double road capacity, whilst supporting local and regional growth by opening up markets. He mentioned that there would be opportunities for residents both during the construction phase and in the longer term.

Mr Protheroe moved on to outlining the refinements to the scheme that had been made since supplementary consultation, including a reduction in the overall size of the development boundary and other changes such as, updated pedestrian paths, and fewer utilities diversions. He added that more detailed landscaping work had also been undertaken, and HE had completed some ecological mitigation measures. He clarified that because of COVID-19 no in-person consultation events would be taking place, and HE were adopting a ‘digital first’ approach, which included postal and telephone consultation. He stated that deposit locations and information points for consultation documents had been limited by government guidelines on COVID-19.

Mr Protheroe then discussed the reduction of the size of the development boundary, which had been reduced from 26.21km to 22.89km, which equalled a reduction of 12.5%. He stated that the homes affected by the scheme had also been reduced by 45% to 150 homes, and these reductions had been achieved through utility diversions. Mr Protheroe understood that the scheme would have a large personal impact on those homeowners affected, but felt this was relatively small for such a large scheme. He clarified that certain parcels of land would only be needed during the construction period for utilities diversions and construction sites, and would be returned to landowners in its previous condition once the scheme was complete.

Mr Protheroe moved on to discuss the environmental impacts of the scheme, and stated that the design refinement had also managed to decrease the impact of the scheme on areas of ancient woodland, and improve habitats for some species, through the introduction of green bridges. He added that 17 noise barriers had also now been added along the route, as well as landscaping proposals to minimise the visual impact of the project on above ground infrastructure. He added that the scheme also required a small number of permanent substations, some larger substations, and a switching station, which would all be fenced off to ensure security. He added that the refinement consultation also outlined the new plans for connecting the water mains to the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), and the use of trenchless technology for below ground utilities.

Mr Protheroe then explained the differences at the north tunnel entrance from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Task Force Priorities List was noted.

Councillor Rice asked if HE could attend the Task Force meeting in September, and the Chair confirmed he would look into it.