asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they received the inspector's report into the proposal for a fly-over at the level crossing on the A27 at Beddingham; and when they expect to make a decision.[HL7231]

The inspector's report on the A27 trunk road Southerham to Beddingham improvement scheme, which provides for the replacement of the level crossing at Beddingham by a bridge over the Lewes to Eastbourne railway line, was received on 1 March 2006. The Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced their joint decision on Wednesday 9 August 2006.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the reason for the delay of six months in the approval of the inspector's report on the A27 trunk road Southerham to Beddingham improvement, bearing in mind that the inspector concluded that there was a compelling case for the scheme to be implemented.[HL7329]

The local inquiry sat for 12 days between 6 September 2005 and 4 November 2005. The inspector’s report was received on 1 March 2006 and the decision of the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government jointly, was made on 8 August 2006.

The decision on the inspector’s report was delayed because of the need for the Highways Agency to carry out a detailed investigation into the reasons for the substantial increase in the estimated cost of delivering this scheme since the close of the inquiry and whether it still represented good value for money.