The Prime ministers Boris Johnson’s rallying cry is “Build Back Better”. But what might this mean, how does it translate into work activity and importantly, what do businesses need from those structures designed to support them?
Unquestionably, the last year has had a huge impact on the Norfolk business community with very few exempt from the urgent and complicated task of adapting out of necessity and need rather than by choice. The economic impact of lockdowns and the subsequent changes in how we work, and of course where we work, are still being felt and will be for a while yet. So how do we go from this to ‘Build back better?
A great many of the supporting business conversations we are having and also a lot of the engagement we have, is around learning and applying new ideas and skills on aspects that they can directly influence, for example re-drafted business plans, looking to access finance and capital on the right terms and flexibility of approach in terms of staff working (to name just three,) but we are also voicing the needs for better infrastructure to support and help improve the chances of success.
The right infrastructure is very important. For instance, without strong digital connectivity, how do businesses compete nationally and internationally and how do they ensure that their teams remain accessible, whether this is in the office or from home? We also need excellent public transport links, whether this is bus or rail, that can meet the changing workforce timetable – is rush hour still nine to five or do we need wider ranging, more flexible timetables? Cycle and walking links have become extremely popular over the last year – how do we capitalise on this popularity and it becomes the norm to cycle or walk to work?
However, as a predominantly rural county, our road infrastructure is, without doubt, vital. As our economy re-opens and our population and jobs grow, we need better infrastructure to ensure that our transport networks can cope.
Our roads are a key lifeline into and out of the county for business, residents and visitors alike. Good transport and road links are a priority to the business community, who need to efficiently and reliably transport goods, reach wider customer, labour and supply markets, and ultimately increase their profitability – thereby growing the local economy.
As the only county in the UK without a motorway, improving the quality of our roads is critically important and work is already being done. We have funding for dualling improvements to parts of the A47 – our main east/west artery road. The Third River Crossing in Great Yarmouth will help support growth opportunities for offshore renewables and our enterprise zones, and Transport for Norwich is currently delivering £59 million of sustainable transport improvements, including £18 million from First Eastern Counties to be invested in its bus fleet and local services.
Further road improvements are planned. The Long Stratton Bypass will make accessing Ipswich and Suffolk easier and will help reduce congestion and make the commute into Norwich easier for many South Norfolk residents. The West Winch Housing Access Road, to the south of King’s Lynn, will form part of the A10 and help reduce traffic congestion, improve journey times and enable the delivery of much needed new homes.
Finally, the Norwich Western Link is the ‘missing’ link between the A47 and the Broadland Northway (formerly the NDR). This missing piece will complete a fully dualled orbital route around Norwich. It will significantly improve journey times, especially for those trying to access north of Norwich and beyond; it will improve access to key employment sites, including the Norwich Research Park, Norwich Airport and the Food Enterprise Park; and importantly help lead to a reduction in carbon emissions from vehicles, that will no longer be queuing and rat-running through unsuitable roads and small villages. Over a 60 year period, the Norwich Western Link will support Norfolk’s economy and local businesses by creating: £315 million of travel time benefits; £31 million of journey time reliability benefits; and productivity gains of £107million.
In an age where climate change is becoming top of the agenda, developing more road infrastructure is not always the answer, however Norfolk has lagged behind many other areas in the UK on infrastructure – these proposed improvements are necessary to ensure our county continues to contribute to UK PLC, supports economic growth, and creates prosperity and jobs. We can ‘Build Back Better’, with the right infrastructure to support us.