Lower Thames Crossing: London's new river crossing linking Kent and Essex will slash journey times and bring new homes and jobs
More than 14 miles long, the Lower Thames Crossing is set to be the largest single road project in Britain since the M25 was completed more than 30 years ago.
It will link with the M25, A13 and A2. The tunnelled section will be 2.4 miles long, making it the longest road tunnel in England and one of the longest in the world.
The new tunnel will almost halve northbound crossing times at the Dartford Crossing, according to Highways England.
New Lower Thames Crossing - and homes nearby, in Kent and Essex
Destined to open in 2027, the route is expected to bring additional economic activity to what is already an important Thames-side employment hub and the London Gateway deep sea port at Corringham on the Essex side.
Bob Weston, managing director of Weston Homes, and an engineer, believes the project — which is going through public consultation — will unlock Kent and Essex, providing more new and affordable homes for commuters into London and easing congestion for those who drive to work in the nearby towns of Dartford in Kent and Grays in Essex.
Unlocking Dartford, Kent
“Any infrastructure project of this nature will increase economic development multiple times,” says Weston. “There are big plans on the Kent side and I am certain we will see several thousand new homes delivered.
“This cannot come soon enough. The traffic is a nightmare every day for the people of Dartford.”
Weston Homes is building 750-home Langley Square, a waterside scheme of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The one-bedroom flats start from £221,000 and two-bedroom homes from £293,000.
The new tunnel is planned to be further down the estuary from the Elizabeth II Bridge at the Dartford Crossing, and is a bonus to the upgrade that is already in progress in the town.
This summer Muse Developments was named preferred developer for the planned £75 million regeneration of the town centre. The project will include bars and restaurants, a six-screen cinema, a new public path and 140 new homes.
Kent: an affordable patch of the Garden of England
As the affordability crisis sweeps Greater London and the home counties, the gaze of the housebuilding community has fallen upon Kent.
A handful of developers have requested research on the county as they consider building new homes in the Garden of England. In fact, national builder Crest Nicholson closed its central London office last year and has opened one in Kent.
“Kent is cheaper than some of the other home counties such as Surrey or Hertfordshire and has a good mix of affordability, access to London and choice of schools," says JLL's Nick Whitten.
Recent research by Hamptons International reveals Sevenoaks in Kent as the most popular destination for people moving out of London. The historic town is on the edge of Knole Park, a 1,000-acre deer park with several million trees, while the commute into London takes 37 minutes by train.
Strutt & Parker is selling a three-bedroom cottage in the village centre at Knockholt in Sevenoaks for £550,000. For more information call the agent’s Sevenoaks office on 01732 466944.
Buying in Kent with Help to Buy
Alex Duke, 28, moved from Bromley to Gillingham to start a new job as a facilities manager.
He bought a two-bedroom apartment at Berkeley Homes’ Victory Pier scheme and cites the regeneration of Kent and the stretch along the estuary as one reason why he feels he has made a wise investment.
Using Help to Buy he secured a mortgage of £177,000 and his repayments on that are £577 a month. He has a daily 30-minute drive to work.
A boost for Romford and beyond
For Savills’ Andrew Redman, the Lower Thames Crossing will take the pressure off nearby towns such as Romford in Havering, Greater London. “There is an insatiable demand for homes in Romford due to the imminent arrival of Crossrail but it’s surrounded by green belt,” he says.
“Therefore, high-density apartment buildings are going up in the town centre but what we really need are family homes for people moving out of the capital. The Lower Thames Crossing will drive more housing in areas such as Thurrock, offering buyers more choice.”
He cites South Ockendon, Grays, Chadwell St Mary and East Tilbury as towns that will benefit from construction.
“People will move that one more step out from the commuter towns of Romford and Dartford for value for money,” Redman adds.
Romford town centre is also undergoing an upgrade. Improvements are being made to the station to accommodate the 200-metre Crossrail trains which are now due to arrive from December onwards.
Barry Jessop, boss of developer First Base, says: “Romford is a major market town in its own right and is reported to be the fourth largest retail centre in London. It has a very good catchment, a natural footfall and a high level of surrounding wealth, but the town centre and retail offering has been neglected.
"With such strong demographics, along with a revitalised town centre and the arrival of Crossrail, we expect to see high levels of growth.”
First Base is building the mixed-use Bridge Close scheme, which will deliver 1,000 homes, commercial space and a new primary school. The scheme will also open up the riverpath, giving direct access to the nearby Crossrail station.
A £25 million funding package is being ploughed into the new Sapphire Ice & Leisure development — part of the council’s masterplan for the town.
Further change is due to sweep across the north of Essex following a proposal for three garden communities which will deliver 43,000 homes.
Buying in Essex through shared ownership
Laura Campen has bought a one-bedroom shared-ownership apartment with a balcony at Beaulieu in Chelmsford, a joint scheme between L&Q and Countryside. The 28-year-old mortgage adviser lived with her parents in the Essex town while saving for a deposit.
Chelmsford is set to benefit from the new road infrastructure that should ease jams on the M25. Campen bought a 25 per cent stake in a home with a full market value of £220,500, putting down a deposit of £5,500.
Her full monthly housing costs including service charge add up to £723.
Opposition to the new Thames tunnel
The Lower Thames Crossing is dividing opinion, however. Thurrock councillors are unanimously opposed to it and have accused Highways England of making the consultation documents too complex to engage the public, running to thousands of pages.
Air pollution and damage to the green belt are among concerns.
But plenty of change is already under way in Thurrock, with regeneration plans in place for Purfleet, Grays, Lakeside and Tilbury.
Across the area, £70 million is being invested to create 3,500 new school places as part of the local plan. The council is also managing planning applications that will deliver 5,000 homes and create 5,000 jobs.
This Saturday, new show homes open at the 450-home Renovo scheme by Bellway in West Thurrock. One- and two-bedroom flats and two-, three- and four-bedroom houses are available and prices start at £219,995.