The Secretary of State’s decision letter, the Examining Authority’s report, the made Order and other associated documents are available on the National Infrastructure Planning website. 

The decision letter sets out the Secretary of State’s approach to less than substantial harm to a scheduled ancient monument (two Tumuli – bronze age burrows) in circumstances where there are significant public benefits in the proposed development, and the Applicant has advanced “a convincing case” that the proposed development was located as far as possible from the scheduled monument given the constraints on the development. Similarly, the Secretary of State agreed with the Examining Authority that the loss of two veteran trees weigh substantially against the DCO being made, but again the public benefits outweighed veteran tree loss. Unsurprisingly, in respect of climate change and carbon, the Secretary of State adopted the same position as in the decision letters on the A47 Blofield and Tuddenham DCO schemes.

Michael Fry instructed by Womble Bond Dickinson promoted the DCO on behalf of the applicant, National Highways Limited, during the six month examination into this nationally significant infrastructure project.