Government move to revoke permissions for A1 dualling in Northumberland
The Government is moving to officially revoke the approval that would have allowed for the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland.
The Government is moving to officially revoke the approval that would have allowed for the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland.
Labour announced last October that it was scrapping a long-debated upgrade to 13 miles of single carriageway on the busy route, having deemed it “unfunded and unaffordable”, sparking outrage in the North East after years of campaigning to get the project off the ground.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander subsequently said that the dualling between Morpeth and Ellingham was “poor value of money”, with its estimated cost having spiralled from £290 million in 2014 to more than half a billion pounds.
Ms Alexander has now served notice that she will quash the development consent order (DCO) that was granted for the scheme last year.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said on Friday that it was “exploring solutions” for other improvements that could be made on that section of the A1, but could not give details of what those smaller changes might be or how long they might take to implement.
A DfT spokesperson added: “Given the challenging financial picture we inherited, we had to make difficult decisions about a number of road projects as they were unfunded or unaffordable.
“National Highways is now exploring solutions for this section of the A1 that could improve safety and congestion while offering value for money to the taxpayer.”
The DCO was granted to National Highways in May 2024, in the Conservatives’ final weeks in power at Westminster.
The Tories faced criticism at the time for not granting approval for the A1 dualling, which had been the subject of a decades-long campaign, until the lead-up to a general election they ultimately lost after 14 years in Downing Street.
Leaked documents seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) recently revealed that officials were ordered to stop working on plans for the dualling project in 2021. Funding for the programme was withdrawn that year without the decision being made public, that report stated.
David Smith, the Labour MP for North Northumberland, said that was proof that the Conservatives had “absolutely no intention” of going ahead with the A1 dualling.
However, Northumberland Council’s Conservative deputy leader Richard Wearmouth insisted that the document showed “officials trying to kill the project multiple times but being overruled by Conservative Ministers on EVERY single occasion”.
Speaking to the LDRS on Friday, Coun Wearmouth said that pulling the DCO “feels needless and spiteful”. He added: “I will be discussing with officers at the council what options are available to challenge the revocation next week. My hope no matter how forlorn is that somehow at least the work done and progress made will not be entirely reversed as Labour are currently directing.”
A note published on the DfT’s website to explain the revocation of the DCO states: “Notice is hereby given that the Secretary of State for Transport is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances that make it appropriate to exercise the power to revoke the A1 in Northumberland: Morpeth to Ellingham Development Consent Order 2024 (“the DCO”). Accordingly, the Secretary of State proposes to make an order to revoke the DCO.
“The DCO granted consent on 24 May 2024 to National Highways Limited to undertake works to redevelop the A1 trunk road between Morpeth and Ellingham, in Northumberland and to carry out all associated works including to acquire, compulsorily or by agreement, land and rights in land and to use land for this purpose. The DCO also includes provisions in connection with the maintenance and operation of the authorised development.”
Public representations on the revocation order can be made until September 12.