{"id":26289,"date":"2022-11-11T16:43:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T16:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.systra.com\/uk\/?post_type=projects&p=26289"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:03:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T07:03:50","slug":"the-london-resort-environmental-insights-for-national-highways","status":"publish","type":"projects","link":"https:\/\/www.systra.com\/uk\/project\/the-london-resort-environmental-insights-for-national-highways\/","title":{"rendered":"The London Resort: Environmental Insights for National Highways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Technical details<\/div>\n \t
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Customer<\/div>\n\t
National Highways<\/div>\n\t <\/div>\n
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Dates<\/div>\n

2021-2022<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Missions<\/div>\n
Environmental Consultant<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Localisation<\/div>\n
London<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Perimeter<\/div>\n
Environmental Consents & Planning. Environmental Advisory, Environmental Impact Assessment, Strategic Modelling<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Activity<\/div>\n
Highways & Roads<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Assessing the risks & impacts of the visitor attraction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Plans for the London Resort promised a nationally significant visitor attraction and leisure resort, to be built on brownfield land in Kent on the south bank of the River Thames, with supporting transport and visitor reception facilities on the north bank in Essex. Dubbed the \u201cUK\u2019s Disneyland\u201d the proposed resort was expected to attract up to 12.5 million visitors per year once fully open<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Highways was a statutory consultee as part of the London Resort Development Consent Order (DCO) application, and needed to respond to the applicant\u2019s Environmental Statement and other documents. The proposed development involved remodelling the A2 \/ A2260 Ebbsfleet Junction, part of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), while the construction and operation of the resort would increase traffic levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Highways wanted to ensure that the applicant (London Resort Company Holdings – LRCH) considered all likely impacts on the road network and associated assets, and addressed these accordingly in the project design. If not mitigated properly, these impacts could have detrimental effects on the environment, as well as causing congestion, noise and air-quality issues for the local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Environmental impact assessment review and advice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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National Highways asked the Jacobs SYSTRA Joint Venture (JSJV) to provide a review for each discipline within the proposal\u2019s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). SYSTRA specialists planned and carried out a detailed analysis of each EIA chapter, and provided National Highways with advice on the issues and risks to its estate and roadside neighbours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SYSTRA also identified a number of relevant technical experts to provide ongoing consultation for National Highways, in preparation for any subsequent detailed consultations on the proposed development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Technical notes identify key issues for National Highways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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To ensure we alerted the client as quickly as possible to any likely issues associated with the development, our specialists prioritised a rapid initial review of each EIA chapter. This enabled us to quickly provide technical notes, outlining the key areas of concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We delivered a technical note for each EIA discipline, including socioeconomics, human health, planning, ecology, water, waste, noise, climate change, air quality, cumulative effects, soils and land quality, landscape and visual, and surface water drainage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our specialists used a standardised template for the technical notes, enabling the client to easily assess and compare our insights and advice across each EIA discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When much of the development area was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England, the applicant issued a revised version of its Environmental Statement. Consequently, SYSTRA provided a further technical note for National Highways, outlining how these changes to the statement could impact its interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Detailed analysis highlights environmental areas of concern<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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As a result of our work, National Highways was fully briefed on all relevant environmental issues associated with the London Resort DCO application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technical notes issued by our team highlighted a number of potential impacts on the strategic road network, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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