Norwich Western Link decision expected in July

By Cllr Greg Peck

The development of a Norwich Western Link, to connect the Broadland Northway, formerly known as the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (NDR), from the A1067 to the A47 west of Norwich, is one of Norfolk County Council’s top infrastructure priorities.

Since construction began on the Broadland Northway there have been sustained calls to fill in the “missing link”.

With cross-party support, the County Council has supported the development of a Norwich Western Link for a number of years and council members agreed in 2016 to include it as one of the county’s top three major infrastructure priorities.

The Council published four shortlisted road options for a Norwich Western Link, designed to improve travel between the A47 and the western end of Broadland Northway and tackle transport problems in this area.

A public consultation on four shortlisted options for a Norwich Western Link was held between November 2018 and January 2019. Since then, a great deal of work has been carried out – and continues to be carried out – with the aim of identifying a preferred route.

Analysing the responses received to the consultation is one of the elements that will inform this decision, but there are many other important factors that need to be considered, including: the results from ecological surveys and environmental information; the routes’ effectiveness at improving traffic issues in the area and meeting the other project objectives; and costs and the ratio of those costs to the benefits they are likely to create.

We still have work to do, so we don’t have a preferred route yet. However, we hope to make a decision on this in mid-July.

Cllr Greg Peck, Norfolk County Council, Reepham Division
Tel: 07972 230282
Email: greg.peck.cllr@norfolk.gov.uk