A1 Birtley to Coal House Improvement Scheme granted development consent

Press release

Today, Tuesday 19 January 2021, the application for the A1 Birtley to Coal House Improvement Scheme has been given development consent by the Secretary of State for Transport.

The project comprises improvements as follows:

The scheme is 6.5 km in length and will consist of online widening of the A1 south of Gateshead to four lanes between junction 65 and 67 on the southbound carriageway and three lanes with lane gain/ drop between junctions on northbound carriageway to provide additional capacity. The scheme will also include the off-line replacement of Allerdene Railway Bridge immediately south of the existing structure to tie into the existing structure at Junction 67 Coal House.

The approved development consent order provides for the upgrading of the A1 in the route which runs adjacent to the Angel of the North including hearing directly from the sculptor, Anthony Gormley. The sensitivity of this location was carefully considered during the examinations and additional requirements added to control lighting and noise to protect the Angel and its setting. The examination was completed to the original timetable using virtual hearings.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by Highways England on 14 August 2019 and accepted for examination on 10 September 2019. Following an examination during which the public, statutory consultees and interested parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, a recommendation was made to the Secretary of State on 21 October 2020.

The Planning Inspectorate’s Chief Executive, Sarah Richards said:

This marks the 100th Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and 36th transport application to have been examined and decided within the timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008. The Planning Inspectorate is committed to giving local communities the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them. Local people, the local authority and other interested parties were able to participate in the examination where the Examining Authority listened and gave full consideration to local views before making their recommendation.

The decision, the recommendation made by the Examining Authority to the Secretary of State and the evidence considered by the Examining Authority in reaching its recommendation is publicly available on the National Infrastructure Planning website.

ENDS

Journalists wanting further information should contact the Planning Inspectorate Press Office, on: 0303 444 5004 or 0303 444 5005 or email: Press.office@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Notes to editors:

The Planning Inspectorate, National Infrastructure Programme of Projects details the proposals which are anticipated to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate as applications in the coming months.

Published 19 January 2021



Letter from Local Government Minister to the Leader of Croydon Council about Postponement of Elections and Referendums amended regulations

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Letter from Luke Hall MP, Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government, to Councillor Hamida Ali, Leader of Croydon Council.



Carprieve 5% w/v Small Animal Solution for Injection – Product defect recall alert

News story

Product defect recall alert for Carprieve 5% w/v Small Animal Solution for Injection (Vm 02000/4229) by Norbrook Laboratories Ltd.

Packaging for Carprieve 5% w/v Small Animal Solution for Injection (Vm 02000/4229)

We wish to make veterinary surgeons aware that Norbrook Laboratories Ltd have initiated a Class 2 recall to veterinarian level for the product Carprieve 5% w/v Small Animal Solution for Injection. This is as a precautionary measure due to higher than usual impurities.

A health hazard assessment has been completed by the company veterinary surgeon. This concludes that any risk to animal and human health is likely to be low and no greater than expected for this product under normal conditions, as described on the product labelling. This recall is for the following batches only:

Batch Numbers:

  • 0265-90
  • 0302-90
  • 0246-90
  • 0112-90
  • 0295-90
  • 9053-91
  • 9103-91

Norbrook Laboratories Ltd are contacting veterinary surgeons to examine inventory immediately and quarantine products subject to this recall.

For further information regarding the recall please contact Gary Mckee on +44 2830 264435 or email gary.mckee@norbrook.co.uk

Published 19 January 2021



Councils urged to ensure Local Plans are up to date

Minister of State for Housing, Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP has urged councils to update their Local Plans to ensure the country gets on with building the homes it needs and in the right places.

The Planning for the future white paper consultation published last year set out proposals to deliver a significantly simpler, faster and more predictable planning system. Councils should consider that an up-to-date plan will put them in the best possible position to deliver the homes we need.

Nine in ten local planning authorities have now adopted a Local Plan, but we know many of them are not being kept up-to-date. In March 2020, the government set a deadline of December 2023 for all councils to have up-to-date Local Plans in place.

Minister of State for Housing, Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP said:

Despite the significant challenges caused by the pandemic, I know the majority of councils are doing all they can to build much-needed homes across England.

I would like to thank them for the important work they do to deliver the homes, jobs and supporting infrastructure that make such a difference to their local communities.

However, a number of councils are not keeping plans up to date and I urge them to avoid any unnecessary delays and maintain progress on plan making.

Local Plans not only unlock land for development and ensure the right number of new homes are being built in the right places, they also provide local communities with an opportunity to have their say on how their local areas will change.

It is critical work should continue to advance Local Plans through to adoption by the end of 2023 to help ensure that the economy can rebound strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This written ministerial statement only covers England.

Nine in ten local planning authorities have now adopted a Local Plan. MHCLG are committed to working with the remaining 10% to get a plan in place as soon as possible, and across the board it is essential that plans are kept up to date.

In March 2020, the government set a deadline of December 2023 for all authorities to have up-to-date Local Plans in place. It is critical that work should continue to progress Local Plans through to adoption by the end of 2023 to help ensure that the economy can rebound strongly from the COVID-19 emergency.

To support this, MHLGC rolled forward temporary changes that we made over the summer to ensure the planning system continues to operate effectively during the pandemic. In addition, we recently announced changes to the methodology for assessing Local Housing Need and published the 2020 Housing Delivery Test measurement. This should provide plan-makers with greater certainty over the homes they should plan for and whether they need to take additional measures to encourage delivery in their area.

The Housing Delivery Test measurement shows that the majority of local planning authorities continue to deliver the number of homes needed in their communities. However, 55 authorities delivered less than three-quarters of their housing need, and are therefore subject to the presumption in favour of sustainable development. Of these, 40 have a Local Plan that is more than 5 years old. This clearly demonstrates the importance of having an up to date Local Plan in place.

MHCLG also want to see Neighbourhood Plans continue to progress with the support of local planning authorities, to give more communities a greater role in shaping the development and growth of their local areas.



Supply chain workers crucial to vaccination programme to receive jabs

  • Move aims to protect continuity of the supply chain to help ensure flow of COVID vaccines for most vulnerable

  • Crucial workers in roles such as manufacturing, fill and finish and batch testing will be offered vaccines

Up to 2,000 people working in roles crucial to the continuity of the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain will be offered jabs to help ensure the UK gets the doses it needs to protect the most vulnerable, the government has announced.

Highly trained workers who have been identified by the government as being irreplaceable and crucial to the delivery of vaccine supplies will be offered vaccines.

This will reduce the risk of an outbreak that would disrupt the immediate supply chain, which could have a significant impact on the largest vaccination programme in British history.

Those eligible include staff working for Pfizer and AstraZeneca involved in specialist UK roles, such as those making the vaccine substance, working on fill and finish and batch testing, as well as those involved in end-to-end coordination who are responsible for getting doses to the right place at the right time.

While each supplier follows strict COVID-secure guidelines, the nature of the job and the close proximity of staff means infections cannot be ruled out.

Each supplier has contingency plans to ensure continuity of production in the event of an outbreak, however the government is taking further action to minimise the risk of disruption.

Some workers at sites such as Oxford Biomedica which manufactures and tests the bulk of the UK’s AstraZeneca supply will be eligible, and some staff at Wockhardt involved in fill and finish will also be included.

Eligible workers will be identified by their employer against clear government criteria and the most appropriate location for vaccination would be agreed between the NHS, local providers and employer.

This has been agreed by all 4 nations and will be implemented across the UK.

People with similar key roles working in the supply chain for the seasonal flu vaccine are already among the first to be offered the flu jab – to protect continuity of their critical contribution in the vaccination programme.