The A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Development Consent (Corrections) Order 2025
The A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Development Consent (Corrections) Order 2025 rectifies errors within the 2024 Development Consent Order granted under the Planning Act 2008.
Following requests from the applicant and Essex County Council, the Secretary of State issued this order, which details specific corrections to various articles and schedules, encompassing definitions, references, and textual inconsistencies relevant to highway specifications, environmental documentation, and land acquisition processes.
The order came into force on April 25th, 2025.
Arguments For
Improved Accuracy of Development Consent Order: The corrections ensure the legal document accurately reflects the intended development, minimizing potential legal challenges and ambiguities. This protects the integrity of the original consent order and enhances its enforceability.
Efficient Implementation of Project: Addressing errors promptly ensures project plans remain aligned with the legal framework, leading to faster and less complicated implementation of the A12 widening project.
Stakeholder Confidence: Correcting errors demonstrably shows commitment to due process, fostering trust among stakeholders (including local authorities, developers, and affected parties) in the fairness and transparency of the planning process.
Legal Compliance: The corrections achieve full compliance with the Planning Act 2008, avoiding potential penalties and legal repercussions for non-compliance.
Arguments Against
Delayed Project Timeline: Although minor, the need for corrections temporarily delays the project's progress, potentially leading to cost overruns or impacting intended completion dates.
Administrative Burden: Correcting the errors necessitates additional administrative work for all stakeholders involved, requiring time and resources to review, amend and re-issue the corrected order.
Unforeseen Consequences: Even minor corrections could have unintended ramifications in areas not obviously connected to the original errors, requiring further review and remedial action.
Possibility of Further Errors: The need for corrections indicates a potential flaw in the initial drafting process, raising concerns about the possibility of undiscovered errors elsewhere in the document or in project implementation.
The A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Development Consent Order 2024 (“the 2024 Order”)1, which granted development consent within the meaning of the Planning Act 2008 (“the Act”)2, contained correctable errors within the meaning of the Act. In accordance with paragraph 1(5)(a) of Schedule 4 to the Act, before the end of the relevant period, as defined in paragraph 1(6)(a) of Schedule 4 to the Act, the Secretary of State received written requests from the applicant3 and Essex County Council for the correction of errors in the 2024 Order. In accordance with paragraph 1(7) of Schedule 4 to the Act, the Secretary of State has informed the relevant local planning authorities for the area in which the land to which the 2024 Order relates is situated, that the request has been received. The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 119 of, and paragraph 1(4) and (8) of Schedule 4 to, the Act, makes the following Order.
The 2024 Order, a development consent under the Planning Act 2008, had mistakes.
The Secretary of State received correction requests from the project applicant and Essex County Council.
The Secretary of State notified relevant local planning authorities and subsequently issued this correction order, authorized under Section 119 and Schedule 4 of the Planning Act 2008.
This Order may be cited as the A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Development Consent (Corrections) Order 2025 and comes into force on 25th April 2025.
The official title of this correcting order is the A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Development Consent (Corrections) Order 2025.
It became effective on April 25th, 2025.
The A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Development Consent Order 2024 is corrected as set out in the Schedule.
This section indicates that the corrections to the original 2024 order are detailed in the document's Schedule section.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport Kayla Marks Head of the Transport and Works Act Orders Unit Department for Transport 24th April 2025
This section contains the signature block, indicating the order's authorization by the Secretary of State for Transport, signed by Kayla Marks, Head of the Transport and Works Act Orders Unit, Department for Transport.
The date of the signature is April 24th, 2025.
In this table— (a) column 1 sets out where the correction is to be made; (b) column 2 sets out how the correction is to be made; and (c) column 3 sets out the text to be substituted, inserted or omitted. [The table detailing specific corrections to the A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Development Consent Order 2024 is too long to include here. It specifies numerous corrections to various articles and schedules, which are all listed in the original document.] In Schedule 12 (documents to be certified), after the entry for “Structures engineering drawings and sections” at row 22, insert— [Another table, detailing additions to Schedule 12, is too long to include here. The original document should be consulted for full details.]
This schedule provides a three-column table detailing the specific corrections.
Column 1 indicates the location of the error; column 2 specifies the type of correction (substitution, insertion, or omission); and column 3 provides the corrected text.
A second table adds new entries to Schedule 12 (documents to be certified).
The Order corrects errors and omissions in A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening (Corrections) Order 2024 a development consent order under the Planning Act 2008, following two requests under paragraph 1(6)(a) of Schedule 4 to that Act.
The explanatory note summarizes the order's purpose by highlighting the correction of previously made mistakes in the 2024 consent order, following two official requests under Schedule 4 of the Planning Act 2008.