ABSTRACT
The planning of trunk road and motorway proposals The planning and decision-making process for new trunk road and motorway schemes in England and Wales involves well-established and often lengthy procedures. Some
knowledge of the process is necessary if we are to understand how and at what point environmental impacts are assessed and taken into account in the planning of such schemes. The planning process for new trunk roads and motorways can be divided into six main stages, each of which consists of a number of elements (Sheate & Sullivan 1993):
the early stages, including entry to the Roads Programme; 2 a public consultation; 3 an announcement of the preferred route; 4 a statutory publication, and submission of the environmental statement; 5 the public inquiry; 6 events after the inquiry.
