The Lower Thames Crossing project has been given the go ahead by the government.

Planning for the £9billion road tunnel, which will connect Kent and Essex, was approved by the Planning Inspectorate after first being proposed 14 years ago.

Now, 359,000 pages of documents later and with hundreds of millions of pounds already spent on the planning process, the 14.5 mile route is set to go ahead.

It will be the UK’s longest road tunnel, connecting the existing road network in Gravesend, including the A2/M2, to the M25 with two tunnels which will run underneath the River Thames, to Tilbury in Essex.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by National Highways on October 31, 2022, and accepted for examination on November 28, 2022.

The examining authority, which was behind the recommendation for approval, said it “listened and gave full consideration to all local views and the evidence gathered” during the examination before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State.

In January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed the government was exploring private investment options for the project.

She said: “We will work with the private sector to deliver the infrastructure that our country desperately needs, this includes the Lower Thames Crossing which will improve connectivity at Dover, Felixstowe and Harwich, alleviating severe congestion as goods destined to export come from the North and the Midlands and across the county to markets overseas.

“To drive growth and deliver value for money for taxpayers we are exploring options to privately finance this important project.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to social media to voice his approval of the decision. He said: “When I said I would back the builders, not the blockers, I meant it.

“Giving the Lower Thames Crossing the green light will drive growth and make journeys quicker, safer, and more reliable. That is my Plan for Change in action.”

Jim Dickson, Labour MP for Dartford, said his constituency has suffered from “endless gridlock” because previous governments have “dodged” making a decision on the Lower Thames Crossing.

He added: “This is a big day for Dartford and a big win for residents. It means the Lower Thames Crossing has been given final planning approval by the government and means the crossing will be built, which is great news because as we all know for far too long the previous governments have dodged making a decision on it, leaving Dartford residents enduring endless gridlock.

"I would say this decision by the Labour government shows it's serious about growth. It will unlock economic growth across the country but particularly across the Thames Estuary and it finally delivers a solution to the traffic chaos faced by my constituents on a daily basis.

"This is the number one priority for Dartford residents when I knock on the door as I do very regularly or talk to people in the streets, in pubs or my coffee mornings.

"The one thing they're united on is they want to see the crossing happen because they live every day with gridlocks.

"They can't get to hospital appointments, get their kids to school on time or work in Essex because they can't rely on getting to work on a time when they're expected there. That will all change with the LTC. Dartford residents are ecstatic about this news and want us to get on with it as soon as possible."

However Chris Todd, director of campaign group Transport Action Network, called the approval “absolute madness”.

He said: “It’s a desperate decision to distract from the likely bad news in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement tomorrow. When the government can’t afford to properly fund the NHS and our roads are falling apart, it's cutting back on benefits and putting vulnerable people at risk. It really has got its priorities in a muddle.

"At a likely cost of £16bn this road is simply unaffordable. The only way that the government can afford this white elephant would be to take money from all the other nations and regions in the UK.

“Rather than boosting growth, this will clog up roads in the south east and slow the economy down even more.”

He previously said the needed a “fundamental rethink” and should be cancelled and replaced by public transport alternatives, such as smaller, more affordable rail schemes that could “shift thousands of lorries off our roads” and “increase connectivity”.

Downing Street defended the announcement amid frustrations about the level of investment going to southern areas, as opposed to the north of England.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’re absolutely taking an approach to invest across the country, in every region. We have since the election given the go-ahead for projects across the country.

“Look at where a lot of our energy investments are happening – across the North, in Scotland, and will unlock thousands of jobs.”

Asked how much of the money for the Lower Thames Crossing would come from taxpayers, the spokesman added: “On the funding, that work will obviously continue in terms of the financing of projects.

“We’ll be looking at all funding options including private finance, and any final decisions on that will be taken in due course.”

Earlier this year, campaigners compared ambitions to make the Lower Thames Crossing the “greenest road ever” in the UK to trying to put green lipstick on a pig.

This followed the announcement of a new target to reduce the multi-billion-pound project’s construction carbon emissions by 70%.

The Financial Times revealed earlier this month £1.2billion had been spent on the project without any work starting, with money going towards planning, consultations, environmental assessments, traffic modelling, legal fees, land purchases and a new community woodland.

In a briefing document published by National Highways it was also stated the expected cost of the project will be between £9.2billion and £10.2billion, depending on how the construction phase is financed.

The projected cost of the tunnel project was initially between £5.3billion and £6.8billion when it was first agreed in 2017.

Nick Fenton, chief executive of the investment promotion agency Locate in Kent, said the approval of the scheme was a “vital decision” towards making sure Kent and Medway has the “capacity to keep traffic and freight moving” as the UK’s gateway to Europe.

He said: “The Lower Thames Crossing will almost double road capacity across the Thames east of London – easing chronic congestion on the Dartford Crossing, improving journey times for businesses across the southeast, keeping freight passing through the Channel Ports and providing a huge economic boost to the UK.

“It will also deliver thousands of jobs during the construction phase, and beyond.

“This nationally important strategic route is vital for this country’s logistics network. Kent and Medway has a major role to play in supporting UK trade and investment and it was imperative that the project goes ahead.

“This new route is urgently needed, not least in supporting the government’s house building and growth agenda for the UK economy. Not going ahead would have sent an unwelcome signal to business and investors, that we’re not a country that invests for the long-term.

“Today’s decision to grant planning approval for the Lower Thames Crossing should also be a time for policy makers at all levels to reflects on what needs to be done to remove obstacles to delivering the infrastructure needed as a nation to deliver future growth.

“That includes pressing ahead with planning reform and further incentives that will attract investment to pay for further improvements, from widening the M2 to restoring international rail services to the county.”

Construction on the project is expected to start in 2026, ahead of a planned opening in 2032.

Before the main works get underway, the project and its three delivery partners, will work with local authorities, landowners, and stakeholders to refine aspects of the design to reduce the impact on the local community and environment.

Matt Palmer, National Highways executive director for the Lower Thames Crossing, described it as “one of the UK’s most important infrastructure projects”.

He said: “It will unlock growth with quicker, safer and more reliable journeys, and redraw the blueprint for building major projects in a net zero future by scaling up the use low-carbon construction, and leaving a legacy of green spaces, green skills.

“Our plans have been shaped by the local community and refined by robust and rigorous examination from independent experts.”

Mr Palmer said National Highways is committed to “working with our neighbours” to build the crossing in a way that offers them “opportunities to work and learn new skills while reducing impacts”.

He added: “We are shovel-ready and have our delivery partners on board, and today’s decision allows us to work with Government on funding and start the detailed planning that will let us start construction as soon as possible.”

David Wells, chief executive of industry body Logistics UK, said the announcement is “excellent news” as businesses across the country are “currently hamstrung by delays crossing the Thames”.

He added: “Industry is united in its backing for this vital trade route.”

Gravesham council, which has been opposed to the proposed siting of the river crossing east of Gravesend, said the announcement was not unexpected.

Despite this the local authority says it has had encouraging responses from National Highways on a number of asks, for example around the creation of a skills training centre, and a land deal adjacent to Cascades leisure centre that would open up a host of possible health and wellbeing uses.

Positive discussions have also taken place, it adds, in relation to discounted use of the new crossing and existing Dartford Crossing for local residents.

It says it will continue to engage with National Highways and the Department for Transport to ensure the needs of residents and businesses are fully considered as the scheme moves forward.

But conservationists have warned the project will not address congestion problems at the Dartford Crossing in the long-run and will cause irreversible damage to the UK’s climate and biodiversity.

Emma Waller, planning and policy officer for Kent Wildlife Trust, labelled the scheme “short-sighted”.

She said: "This development will lead to the destruction of irreplaceable habitats, including ancient woodlands and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

“Such loss is in direct contradiction to the Environment Act 2021, which established legally binding targets to protect our environment, clean up our air and rivers, and reverse the decline of biodiversity by 2030.

“This approval sets a dangerous precedent for future infrastructure projects, and once again shows nature is not being considered as critical infrastructure, despite the fact nature is what maintains a ‘safe operating space for humanity’.”

The conservation expert said the Trust would continue to engage in the “decision-making process” to hold the government accountable.

Medway Council leader Vince Maple said the crossing would provide a “light at the end of the tunnel” and support local growth and the economy.

He added: “We are delighted that Government has granted development consent for the Lower Thames Crossing, after an extensive period of planning and public consultations. Medway Council has supported the proposal of an additional crossing connecting the counties of Kent and Essex from the start.

“The new tunnel crossing will connect existing road networks, with the A2 and M2 already vitally important to Medway, not only for our residents but for visitors and hauliers travelling into the area.

“The major road scheme will provide improved access into Medway, as well as across north Kent and south Essex.

“This will create more opportunities for local residents, including for work and education, as well as for businesses by strengthening the supply chain.”