Latest news with #Barbastelle
BBC News
19-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Talks ongoing over Norwich Western Link road
A senior councillor insisted he was still confident a "good solution" could be reached over plans for a controversial County Council withdrew its plans for the £274m Norwich Western Link last month, over concerns it would not get planning Graham Plant, the cabinet member responsible for transport, told a meeting that talks were still ongoing with the groups warned that the multimillion-pound cost of the road could leave the authority with a large hole in its finances. The council dropped its planning application to the government for the 3.9-mile (6.2km) link, connecting the Northern Distributor Road around Norwich to the A47 west of the was because new rules protecting rare Barbastelle bats meant a licence was unlikely to be millions of pounds had already been spent on things including buying land, and staff and consultants' costs. The total cost so far is about £56m, with £33m provided by the government, which could have to be repaid if the road is not is unclear how that money would be paid back, but council staff said they had planned for "a range of scenarios".Liberal Democrat group leader Brian Watkins told a meeting of the full council that the authority's handling of the project had been "inept"."The council is continuing to fail to provide suitable reassurances that it has a proper contingency plan in place, should this come to pass," he Steve Morphew compared the "red risk" rating the council had given the finances surrounding the road to a red weather warning."If, for example, the red warning is for a torrential downpour that could result in flooding, I'd suggest any prudent person would move their belongings to higher ground and maybe fill some sandbags." But Plant said the council was still in discussions with government and insisted both sides "want a good outcome"."The government has said it is keen to enable economic growth and deliver infrastructure and make the planning system less onerous for applicants, so we've got shared goals, which gives us confidence that we can reach a good solution together."The Department for Transport said it would "continue to work with Norfolk County Council on measures to improve congestion". Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Snails not blocking growth, says wildlife boss
Nature should not be seen as a "blocker" of economic growth, despite a group of endangered snails pausing progress on a major road scheme, a wildlife trust boss has said. The presence of Little Whirlpool Ramshorn snails in ditches surrounding the A47 Acle Straight near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, is contributing to delays in upgrading the single-carriageway road. Eliot Lyne, chief executive of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, said: "I find it a bit of a stretch that we're saying one of the reasons why we don't have great economic growth is there's a snail that's holding up the A47 dualling." National Highways said it took its responsibility to the environment "very seriously" and would continue to assess where improvements could be made. The rare snails, which measure just 0.2 in (5mm) across, are known to exist in only three locations across the United Kingdom, and are legally protected. Studies have been ongoing for almost a decade into whether the snails would survive being relocated. In a speech on Wednesday, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, outlined how the government intended to achieve economic growth. "So we are reducing the environmental requirements placed on developers when they pay into the nature restoration fund that we have created so they can focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about bats and newts," she said. But Mr Lyne said nature was what made Norfolk a "special place". He said: "Nature is not a blocker of economic growth; nature is an enhancer of economic growth... we should be thinking of nature as an investment, not a blocker." Norfolk County Council recently withdrew its planning application for the Norwich Western Link, which would connect the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) to the A47, due to rules protecting Barbastelle bats that live on the proposed route. Graham Plant, Conservative councillor and cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said the wait for Acle Straight improvements was "not good enough". He said: "Humans are animals, too, and they don't deserve to die because of the state of the roads that were built 100 years ago. "It seems they are putting unreasonable objects in the way of safety and people's lives... this is a main link through Norfolk from the coast to the Midlands and it's archaic and we need to make it safer and better. and the only way to do that is dual it." A National Highways spokesperson said: "Preserving this endangered species, which is only found in three locations across the country, is just one among a number of factors surrounding any possible upgrade of the A47 Acle Straight. "Our commitment to improving the A47 in terms of safety and reducing congestion can be seen with major construction currently under way on two large-scale projects to dual different sections of the road." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Wildlife charities welcome road plan withdrawal Plea as bat rules may screech road plan to a stop Environmentalist to keep fighting despite criticism Residents welcome new limit at notorious road National Highways Norfolk County Council Norfolk Wildlife Trust
BBC News
31-01-2025
- Business
- BBC News
A47 snails not blocking economic growth
Nature should not be seen as a "blocker" of economic growth, despite a group of endangered snails pausing progress on a major road scheme, a wildlife trust boss has presence of Little Whirlpool Ramshorn snails in ditches surrounding the A47 Acle Straight near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, is contributing to delays in upgrading the single-carriageway Lyne, chief executive of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, said: "I find it a bit of a stretch that we're saying one of the reasons why we don't have great economic growth is there's a snail that's holding up the A47 dualling."National Highways said it took its responsibility to the environment "very seriously" and would continue to assess where improvements could be made. The rare snails, which measure just 0.2 in (5mm) across, are known to exist in only three locations across the United Kingdom, and are legally protected. Studies have been ongoing for almost a decade into whether the snails would survive being a speech on Wednesday, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, outlined how the government intended to achieve economic growth. "So we are reducing the environmental requirements placed on developers when they pay into the nature restoration fund that we have created so they can focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about bats and newts," she said. But Mr Lyne said nature was what made Norfolk a "special place". He said: "Nature is not a blocker of economic growth; nature is an enhancer of economic growth... we should be thinking of nature as an investment, not a blocker." Norfolk County Council recently withdrew its planning application for the Norwich Western Link, which would connect the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) to the A47, due to rules protecting Barbastelle bats that live on the proposed route. Graham Plant, Conservative councillor and cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said the wait for Acle Straight improvements was "not good enough". He said: "Humans are animals, too, and they don't deserve to die because of the state of the roads that were built 100 years ago. "It seems they are putting unreasonable objects in the way of safety and people's lives... this is a main link through Norfolk from the coast to the Midlands and it's archaic and we need to make it safer and better. and the only way to do that is dual it." A National Highways spokesperson said: "Preserving this endangered species, which is only found in three locations across the country, is just one among a number of factors surrounding any possible upgrade of the A47 Acle Straight. "Our commitment to improving the A47 in terms of safety and reducing congestion can be seen with major construction currently under way on two large-scale projects to dual different sections of the road." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
