Infrastructure spending review update
Thank you to everyone who has been writing to political representatives and sharing their responses with us. The Department for Transport has confirmed the A38 expansion scheme is still part of the ongoing infrastructure spending review. So far, most responses have been neutral, with no clear support or opposition from authorities.
We’ve noticed some MPs are misinformed about the scheme. For example, one Derbyshire MP wrongly believes it will reduce air pollution near Markeaton Island, but the scheme’s planning documents show it would increase pollution there, especially for residents at the Royal School for the Deaf. Check our Key Facts page to see if your MP has made similar false claims. The most common false claim is that the scheme will be better for the environment as it will reduce idling traffic. The scheme's own planning documents show the extra traffic and wider road will increase pollution overall.
When Will a Decision Be Made?
We submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to find out if the Full Business Case (FBC) for the A38 expansion is complete. The FOI revealed it is still incomplete and expected in June 2026.
This is significant because the Government cannot make a fully informed investment decision without the FBC. Yet, the infrastructure spending review is expected to conclude in June 2025. How can the Government approve funding without knowing the full costs and economic viability of the scheme?
Our second legal challenge against the outdated economic assessment was dismissed because the court ruled that the Transport Minister can approve a scheme with incomplete information—work that will only be done later at the FBC stage, which lacks public scrutiny. All we can do for the FBC is submit FOI requests and keep writing to political representatives urging them to scrap the scheme.
What You Can Do
1. Respond to the Government’s Spending Review – Deadline 9 February 2025
Tell the Government to scrap the A38 expansion and invest in sustainable transport instead. Use Transport Action Network’s guide: Spending Review 2025.
2. Fill in the National Transport Strategy Questionnaire – Deadline 20 February 2025
Ask for better public transport, improved walking and cycling infrastructure, and fewer vehicles on the roads. Stress the need for investment in sustainable transport over road schemes like the A38 expansion.
3. Keep Writing to Political Representatives. Contact details available on our web page.
Letter writing tips
When writing, emphasise the economic failings of the scheme as well as the harm it would cause to public health and the environment. Emphasise that no other solutions were ever explored and public transport is better for the environment, public health and delivers more economic value than road schemes. The Government is more likely to listen to economic reasons to scrap the scheme so focus on the uncertainty about the final costs and how the money would be better invested in public transport.
Here are some points you can make.
Avoid wasting over £250 million of public funds: The scheme costs were last estimated in 2019 and are likely to be more now due to inflation, increased construction costs and carbon pricing. The £250 million cost of the scheme is a misuse of public funds, especially at a time when the Government faces a £22 billion budget deficit.
The full business case of the A38 expansion is still not complete and the final costs and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) are not known. The has never been a comprehensive economic assessment published justifying the claimed benefits relative to the costs and significant environmental and community harms. A Combined Modelling and Appraisal (ComMA) report was not produced. The Examining Authority of the scheme noted the lack of information on the methodology and assumptions used in the economic assessment and requested a full version of the assessment. National Highways only provided a table summarising the Analysis of Monetised Costs and Benefits (AMCB).
Flawed economic justification: The A38 Derby Junctions scheme is based on an outdated 2019 economic assessment. Independent analysis suggests that the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) could now fall below 2, indicating poor value for money. Despite this, the old Conservative Government moved forward with the scheme.
The journey-saving benefits are likely exaggerated: National Highways published a report in 2017 which found that congestion was made worse on dozens of major roads in England by a project to tackle bottlenecks. The pinch-point programme was started in 2011 to relieve congestion, stimulate growth in local economies and improve safety, but the report showed most schemes had failed to do this. It’s likely the A38 scheme will also fail in its aims, especially due to induced demand by enabling more car-dependent developments.
The scheme is not necessary to support the development of new housing in and around Derby. The expansion risks entrenching car dependency, increasing congestion and causing huge environmental harm. Recent developments in Derby demonstrate that sustainable housing growth is achievable without increasing road capacity.
Alternative solutions have never been considered: National Highways only proposed road-based projects and no research into multi-modal solutions was ever conducted.
Alternative solutions are cheaper, faster and less harmful: In the short term, better traffic signalling, improved road signs, lowering speed limits, pedestrian and cyclist bridges / underpasses and even road pricing could alleviate congestion while longer term, multi-modal transport solutions are researched and implemented.
Thank you for your continued support,
The Stop the Expansion Campaign team