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On 7 March 2024, the Secretary of State for Transport granted development consent for National Highways’ A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project, which is a nationally significant infrastructure project to improve the existing A66. The Project is central to achieving the transformational economic growth envisaged by the Northern Powerhouse initiative, Transport for the North and the achievement of the Government’s Levelling-Up agenda.
The Order would allow for the construction and operation of works to improve the A66 between M6 motorway at Junction 40 at Penrith and the A1(M) Junction 53 at Scotch Corner. It would involve improving the junctions on the M6 and A1 as well as improving six separate single carriageway lengths of road to dual carriageway standard and making improvements to the junctions within each of those lengths. The nature of the planned improvements includes online widening (adjacent to the existing road) of the carriageway as well as offline construction (new lengths of road following different routes but reconnecting into existing lengths of the A66 that are already dualled).
The Secretary of State’s decision letter can be found here.
Reuben Taylor KC, Jenny Wigley KC, Richard Turney, Matthew Dale-Harris and Joel Semakula acted for the promoter – National Highways – at various stages of the Examination, instructed by Pinsent Masons LLP.
