There were no major announcements within the Queen’s Speech last week for infrastructure projects in the UK, with the exception of the High Speed 2 (HS2) Bill. David Cameron’s introduction to the speech said: “This Queen’s Speech will bring every part of our United Kingdom together. Our legislation will make sure this recovery reaches everyone, from the oldest industrial towns to the remotest rural villages. Our High Speed 2 Bill will help bring our great northern cities together in a Northern Powerhouse that rivals the biggest cities in the world.”
Norfolk and the East of England have been major contributors to the ongoing economic recovery of UK plc and continue to strive to compete at a national and international level. However to do do this we need to improved infrastructure. Norfolk has historically lagged behind in terms of infrastructure and Norfolk Chamber and our members, from start ups to our large scale members have been lobbying hard for those improvements. In December last year the previous Coalition Government announced funding in the Autumn Statement to deliver improvements along the A47.
Improvements announced in Autumn Statement:
- A47 North Tuddenham to Easton: dualling to provide continuous dual carriageway between Norwich and Dereham; combined with the Blofield to North Burlingham scheme, this will provide full dualling between Dereham and Acle.
- A47 Blofield to North Burlingham: dualling to complete a gap in the dual carriageway between Norwich and Acle; combined with the North Tuddenham to Easton scheme this will provide full dualling between Dereham and Acle.
- A47/A12 Great Yarmouth: junction improvements, including reconstruction of the Vauxhall roundabout.
- Safety improvements at key hotspots and joint working with Natural England to establish environmental impacts and mitigation measures for the medium and long term which could include installation of safety barriers, junction improvements and road widening or capacity improvements.
- A47/A11 Thickthorn junction: improvement of the interchange to give improved access to Norwich.
The Chamber’s ‘Business Plan for Norfolk’ highlights the need for improvements to Norfolk’s infrastructure to help further develop economic growth. Norfolk Chamber and our members continue to lobby hard to draw attention to Norfolk’s needs. We are members of the A47 Alliance; have heavily supported the rail improvement campaigns; and have been vocal in our support for the NDR. We are also calling for improved Broadband and mobile coverage, as well as driving down the costs of doing business i.e. reductions in red tape and regulatory burdens on Norfolk businesses.
Commenting on the Queen’s Speech, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“Businesses in Norfolk will continue to strive to deliver economic growth, but they need to have the confidence to invest in their organisations, both in terms of plant and machinery, as well as personnel. Norfolk’s continued economic recovery requires the Government to favour enterprise, wealth creation and growth and the Queens Speech indicated positive steps in towards these goals.
Norfolk Chamber would like to see the Government to follow through on the announcement’s made in the Autumn Statement last year and deliver the necessary funding for Norfolk’s infrastructure improvements, which will enable the Norfolk business community to create jobs and deliver economic growth and prosperity to our region.”
