Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the A12 widening scheme between junction 19 and junction 25 will not be delayed as a result of the problems identified with the Local Plan produced by Colchester Borough Council by Planning Inspector Roger Clews in his letter to that council of 8 June 2018.

The Department for Transport is considering the way forward for the A12 widening scheme in the light of the Planning Inspector’s report, working with Highways England, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Essex County Council and North Essex Garden Communities. The Department is considering how best to support the Government’s wider aims to support housing and growth without delaying delivery of the A12 scheme.