Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask, the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of the Road projects list in Annex B: Infrastructure Projects of the Growth Plan 2022 are awaiting her consent to begin; and when each application was submitted to her Department for approval.
In this answer we are describing approval of the funding or business case, and not decisions related to statutory planning or consents.
All 10 of the Strategic Road Network schemes on the list are committed schemes in the Roads Investment Strategy. 6 of these will require a specific funding or business case sign off from DfT Ministers prior to starting construction. 15 of the 31 Major Road Network schemes named in the growth plan have been given conditional funding approval and are now working towards final approval. The local authority promoters of the remaining 16 are working up their cases to seek conditional funding approval. The applications for the 45 Safer Roads Fund schemes will be sent to local authorities shortly for return in the new year. The projects are then expected to begin by the end of the financial year.