New Tyne Crossing faces further delay

The construction of the £185m New Tyne Crossing faces further delay following a legal challenge to a decision made by the Secretary of State in July.

The challenge has been made by Bryan Atkinson, who attended the Public Inquiry in 2003, who is concerned about the validity of the Environmental Statement prepared on the crossing.

Councillor David Wood, chairman of the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority, said: “Atkinson raised concerns about waste management issues at the inquiry.  All the statutory bodies were consulted on this – including the Environment Agency and the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs  – and were satisfied with our proposals."

Wood said that the original evidence was accepted by the inspector at the inquiry and has since been further reviewed and accepted by the Department for Transport’s legal team.

“A legal challenge will inevitably cause delay to the start of work on the New Tyne Crossing but it is unclear at this stage to say to precisely what extent – although we anticipate it will be six to nine months," he added.