A1 Dualling between Morpeth and Ellingham documentation
Case reference EIR2024/01484
Received 7 November 2024
Published 13 December 2024
Request
Now that it is confirmed that the A1 Dualling between Morpeth and Ellingham project will not go ahead, please could you let me have copies of the following documents relating to this project:
1. Strategic Outline Case
2. Outline Business Case, or the latest draft version if not finalised.
3. The estimate for remaining costs to complete the project.
4. The estimate for the benefit-cost ratio (BCR).
5. The estimate for additional CO2e that would be emitted if the project had gone ahead.
Please include all annexes / appendices.
Response
I can confirm that we hold some of the information you have requested.
Information provided
2. Outline Business Case, or the latest draft version if not finalised.
Please find attached a PDF titled:
‘SGAR 3 A1 M2E business case V6_update redacted’.
3. The estimate for remaining costs to complete the project.
Please find attached a PDF titled:
‘20221206_A1_M2E_F300_signed_Dec22 _Redacted’.
4. The estimate for the benefit-cost ratio (BCR).
Please see tables 10-15 on pages 44 and 45 of the PDF entitled ‘SGAR 3 A1 M2E business case V6_update redacted’ for iterations of the BCR. Note that the revised estimate supplied above has not been used by National Highways to derive an updated BCR prior to a decision to cancel the scheme being made.
5. The estimate for additional CO2e that would be emitted if the project had gone ahead.
The projected carbon emissions were published at DCO. Please see 7.29.1 Applicant's Responses to ExA's Third Written Questions - Appendix i - Scheme Impacts on Carbon Budgets (LA114 format)
Personal information has been withheld under Regulation 13 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
Information withheld
Commercial information in the SGAR 3 A1 M2E business case V6 has been withheld under exception in Regulation 12(5)(e) Commercial or industrial information of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 because if the information was released at this point, it would detrimentally expose the commercial contractual position taken by the supplier at the time, and also aspects of their commercial modelling whilst still a participant in the live contract framework. Furthermore it would harm our ability to gain value from future suppliers on this framework and in the market if our previous negotiating position was known.
In applying this exemption, we have had to balance the public interest in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosure. The key public interest factors for and against disclosure are attached.
Information not held
1. Strategic Outline Case
I can confirm that National Highways does not hold this information, and as such this part of your request has been refused under Regulation 12(4)(a) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 as information not held.
Advice and Assistance
The A1 Morpeth to Ellingham dualling scheme was added to the 2015 Roads Investment Strategy as a result of the Government’s A1 North of Newcastle Feasibility Study in 2014. As such, the case for a scheme had been made and options to evaluate were already identified in outline, so the project was handed over to National Highways and proceeded to Outline Business Case.
Documents
This is National Highways' response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.