Last week, along with a delegation of MPs from across Kent, I met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, at Number 11 Downing Street to discuss future investment in road infrastructure in Kent. In the government’s autumn statement last year, George Osborne awarded the £250million required to deliver the Operation Stack relief lorry park at Stanford West. This is a necessary investment to keep Kent’s traffic moving even when there are delays in road freight being able to depart from the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel. However, in order to meet the challenge of the growing volumes of freight on our roads, we also need to complete the third Thames crossing; ideally linking the M2 directly to the M11 motorway in Essex. We should also prioritise the completion of the dualling of the A2 to Dover, to support the vital M2/A2 route to the Port. This would give Kent two complete motorway and dual carriageway corridors running west to east through the county, and to the main points of departure to the continent. We will continue to make the case for investment in this vital infrastructure for our county.
The government has also announced its preference for a third runway at Heathrow to meet the growing demand for airport capacity in the UK. A new runway at Heathrow will bring economic benefits to passengers and the wider economy worth up to £61 billion. Up to 77,000 additional jobs are expected to be created over the next 14 years and the airport has committed to create 5,000 new apprenticeships over the same period.
If we are to grow our international trade outside of Europe, then we need to make sure that London is the best connected city in the world, directly linked to the traditional and emerging centres of trade and commerce, particular in China and Asia. The airline industry is also clear that London needs a principle hub airport that facilitates people transferring from one flight to another. Modern aircraft have cleaner and quieter engines, so we can manage the expansion of an airport like Heathrow, whilst keeping it within existing noise and air quality targets. I support the decision to expand Heathrow, but we should also look at improving access to the airport for people in Kent. A good way to do this would be to extend the new Cross Rail service, which is due to open in May 2017, to Ebbsfleet. Currently the service will start at Abbey Wood near Dartford, and it will also be possible to join Cross Rail at Stratford. The journey time from Stratford to Heathrow by Cross Rail will be 43 minutes, however if you could join the service from Ebbsfleet International that would provide an even greater time saving for Kent residents. This would also mean that Cross Rail could be used as an alternative route for commuters making the journey from St Pancras to Ebbsfleet, which is heavily congested during the evening rush hour.