Norfolk County Council is launching a public consultation next week on whether there is a need to tackle transport issues to the west of Norwich.
When it announced plans to build the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (A1270) north and east of the city, many people wanted the council to fill in what they saw as a ‘missing link’ between the Fakenham Road (A1067) and the A47.
Now that the Northern Distributor Road (now called the Broadland Northway) is open, the Council is beginning the process of considering whether transport improvements are needed to the west of the city.
While building a new road between the end of the Broadland Northway (at Fakenham Road) and the A47 is one potential option, the consultation asks people to identify any options which they believe could tackle transport issues in the area. These include improving public transport and improving existing routes as well as an option to do nothing.
Commenting on the forthcoming consultation, nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber said:
“The successful delivery of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (NDR) is a clear signal that Norfolk is embracing growth and development in order to create the jobs and houses that our region needs and has been strongly welcomed by the Norfolk business community. However to maximise the potential for this region – the missing link from the A1067 to the A47 needs to be completed as soon as possible.
“The Norwich Western Link will facilitate easier access to both Norwich airport and Great Yarmouth port. It will further help to improve journeys into and around the west of the city, support potential housing and jobs growth; provide the infrastructure to manage the additional traffic this will create, and improve quality of life for people living in the area.
“This final piece of the puzzle will ensure that Norfolk has infrastructure that is fit for the 21st century. It will create stronger and more effective links to the Midlands and the North and will help Norfolk businesses to thrive and deliver greater economic growth and jobs. Norfolk Chamber is therefore encouraging as many businesses as possible to take part in next week’s consultation.”
Martin Wilby, Chairman of the Council’s Environment, Development and Transport Committee, said:
“The Broadland Northway is already helping to make journeys quicker for thousands of people every day, which is fantastic.
“However we’ve been hearing for some time now that many people are concerned about rat-running, congestion and other problems on roads and in communities to the west of the city. This combined with some major changes planned in the area, including dualling of a nearby stretch of the A47 and the food hub at Easton, is why the council has made delivering a Norwich Western Link between the Fakenham Road and the A47 one of its infrastructure priorities.
“While we have lots of informal feedback, this is the first time we have carried out a public consultation about transport issues in this area and what, if anything, people think we should do about them. It’s absolutely vital people take this opportunity to tell us about their experiences and opinions on transport to the west of Norwich so we can use this to help us come up with the best possible solution.”
The consultation launches next Tuesday (8 May) and will be open for eight weeks. During this time, people will be able to respond to the consultation online at www.norfolk.gov.uk/nwl or in person at nine staffed consultation events. The details of these are as follows:
- Ringland Village Hall, Thursday 10 May
- Hockering Village Hall , Thursday 17 May
- Hall for all, Weston Longville, Tuesday 22 May
- Easton Village Hall, Thursday 31 May
- Taverham Village Hall , Tuesday 5 June
- The Forum, Norwich, Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 June
- Costessey Community Centre, Monday 18 June
- Hellesdon Parish Office, Tuesday 26 June
All the consultation events will run between 10.30am and 8pm with the exception of the event at Taverham Village Hall which will finish at 7pm. The consultation will close at midnight at Tuesday, 3 July. The council will analyse the responses over the summer and let people know the results later this year and what, if anything, it proposes to do to tackle any of the transport issues identified.
