M25 junction 10

Latest updates

• 07 October 2021

  Seasonal maintenance: Ockham and Wisley Commons

  What’s going on?

  During October we will be repeating some work on Ockham and Wisley Commons, in areas adjacent to the A3 and M25 J10. The work involves cutting back plants close to the ground to  discourage reptiles from hibernating in areas that we could be working in early next year, should our proposals be approved. 

  Why are you carrying out these works now before your Development Consent Order (DCO) decision?

  We need to carry these works out now to protect the reptiles that start to go into hibernation at the end of October.  Should our DCO be approved in November, we would hope to start work in these areas in early 2022, before the end of the hibernation season.  This work is fully reversible, should our proposals not be approved. 

  What you’ll see

  A team will be working for two weeks using a specialist machine called a ‘Robo Flail’, it is 3m wide, and similar to a ride-on lawn mower.  We will not need to close off any areas and all work will take place during the day. 

  What else has been happening?

  We are delighted that our virtual information portal has been shortlisted by the British Construction Industry Awards in the Product Innovation of the Year category.  To view the portal just click on the ‘view the portal’ option at the top of this page.  Our Integrated Project team have also been shortlisted by the Risk Management Awards for Risk Management Team of the Year.  

• 26 July 2021

  Project update – July 2021

  In May, the Secretary of State for Transport has asked for more time to make a final decision on whether we can continue with our proposals to improve the M25 junction 10/A3 Wisley interchange.  In his statement, the Secretary of State set out the 6-month extension and provided the new deadline of 12 November 2021. Details of the additional information requested by the Secretary of State can be viewed the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

  We remain confident that our proposals will deliver much needed additional capacity, with better connectivity for people and business, and safer journeys for everyone. You can now visit our virtual information portal that outlines our proposals and the safety and environmental benefits they would bring. Just click on the ‘view the portal’ option at the top of this page. We would be interested to hear your feedback on the portal, and you can share your thoughts with us using the get in touch section on the portal or by email on M25j10@highwaysengland.co.uk.

  Since the announcement, we’ve spent the time understanding what this extension means for our plans. As part of this we’ve looked at what we can do to get ready if our proposals were to be approved. One of these is to apply for planning permission for our main site compound. The permission will allow us to build our offices during warmer months and to ensure we are ready to deliver the wider scheme programme. The application will be reviewed by Guildford Borough Council and we expect to hear back over the next couple of months.

• 12 May 2021

  Decision deadline extended to November 2021

  The Secretary of State for Transport has asked for more time to make a final decision on whether we can continue with our proposals to improve the M25 junction 10/A3 Wisley interchange.  

  In his statement, the Secretary of State sets out the 6-month extension is to allow for further consideration of environmental matters, and provides the new deadline of 12 November 2021.

  Thank you to everyone for their engagement and contribution in the development of the scheme to date. Further information regarding the extension and any additional consultations will be posted on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

  We remain confident that our proposals will deliver much needed additional capacity, with better connectivity for people and business, and safer journeys for everyone. This junction is one of the busiest on our network, with almost 300,000 journeys every day. Due to the volume of traffic and the resulting queues, the junction and the surrounding roads have a high number of incidents.

• 04 May 2021

  Decision update

  In January 2021, the Secretary of State for Transport delayed his final decision on our proposals to improve the M25 junction 10/A3 Wisley interchange to 12 May 2021.

  This four-month extension is to allow the Secretary of State to understand more detail in certain areas of our application. You can view the written statement about the extension on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

  Thank you to everyone who has got involved in the development of the scheme so far. More information about the scheme, along with the decision when it is announced, can be viewed on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

• 13 January 2021

  Decision date extended

  The Secretary of State has extended the deadline for the decision on the Development Consent Order for improvements to the M25 junction 10/A3 Wisley interchange to 12 May 2021.

  The 4-month extension is to allow the Secretary of State to consult further on specific areas of the application. View the written statement about the extension.

  We look forward to the Secretary of State’s Development Consent Order decision later in the year and will continue to assist with the process over the forthcoming months. Thank you to everyone for their engagement and contribution in the development of the scheme to date. Further information regarding the additional consultation will be posted on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

  Our plans to improve the M25 at junction 10 near Wisley are good for road safety, good for the environment and good for business and jobs. The new junction will improve almost 300,000 journeys a day, making them more reliable and safer, with nearly a third fewer collisions.

• 12 August 2020

  Scheme prepares for Secretary of State decision

  The Development Consent Order (DCO) examination was completed in mid-July, having been extended by two months as a result of the impact of COVID-19. The planning inspectorate are now writing their report which is due to be submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport during October, for his consideration. The Secretary of State decision is expected on 12 January 2021 with start of works planned in spring next year.

  Earlier in the year we awarded a contract to Balfour Beatty Atkins to build the scheme and we are now working on the detailed design and doing more surveys to inform this.  This includes environmental surveying on land surrounding the M25 and A3, as well as surveys on the road which will be done at night when it is less busy. That means there will be night time closures of some lanes in September and October for these surveys.

  Until we receive the Secretary of State’s decision we will be carrying on with the detailed design and planning how to build the scheme. You will be able to find out what the final design looks like and how we will build it at events at the start of next year.

• 19 March 2020

  Formal examination

  Our proposals for the M25 junction 10/A3 Wisley interchange were accepted by the Planning Inspectorate on 17 July 2019 for formal examination. This is a significant milestone for our scheme, as it means we’ve taken a big step towards delivering much-needed improvements on this stretch of road. You can view our planning application on the Planning Inspectorate website.

  The Planning Inspectorate is half way through its examination of our scheme and this has involved multiple written questions and representations, and a series of public hearings, with the next ones due to take place 24, 25 and 26 March.

  These hearings have now been postponed until further notice due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Please check the Planning Inspectorate project page for the latest information on the DCO examination.