Latest news with #NorfolkCountyCouncil
BBC News
15-07-2025
- BBC News
West Lynn and King's Lynn Ferry to reopen 'during school holidays'
A small passenger ferry which runs across the River Great Ouse is set to reopen during the school holidays, a councillor service was previously closed in January after the stairs to the boat, at West Lynn and King's Lynn in Norfolk, were damaged, and fears about passenger safety were raised. Norfolk County Council and West Norfolk Council funded repairs at a cost of £100,000. West Norfolk Borough Councillor Michael De Whalley confirmed the ferry would be back up and running "during the school holidays", with most schools in the county breaking up on 22 July. There has been a ferry service across the river for 600 years, the council said. Ben Ellis, who runs the West Lynn Ferry, said he had struggled to support himself financially since the closure in January. After taking the ferry out on a practice run across the Great Ouse, he said: "You've got the tide and the wind that wants to push me in the mud on the West Lynn side."I thought I'd have to have several attempts to get back on the west Lynn steps and the King's Lynn steps, but it's just like riding a bike".Mr Ellis was keen to get back to transporting passengers as soon as possible but admitted the early alarms were going to be a challenge. "I'm down here for about half five, quarter to six," he added."Just to get all the boats ready, fuelled up and get them all set". De Whalley thanked ferry users for their patience while the work took place and said he was excited to see it return. "The main issue has been safety," he said."We've had to review root and branch safety measures for the ferry operation at both landing stages. It's been complicated by working on a 190-year-old jetty". Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
British bats are a conservation success story
Soon after sunset, a furious clicking can be heard at Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex. Some clicks emanate from bat detectors, which convert the high-frequency sound waves emitted by flying bats into noises that humans can hear. Others come from thumb counters, held by volunteers who are trying to tally the bats that pour out of a building. The racket resembles electronic music of a challenging type. Two decades ago squeaks at Hanningfield alerted conservationists to the presence of soprano pipistrelles, which are among the smallest bats in Britain. The roost has become busier, swelling from a summer peak of around 500 pipistrelles in the early 2010s to at least 2,000 today. It is an extreme example of a general trend. The recent success of bats in Britain is a conservation triumph, but it suggests an uncomfortable conclusion. Laws that make building homes and infrastructure intolerably hard can have a good effect. Bats are much harder to tally than birds, owing to their nocturnal habits and inaudible calls. Counts of hibernating, roosting and feeding bats show different trends. But almost all of the common species of bat are more numerous than they were when reliable measurement began in the late 1990s. The greater horseshoe bat, named for the shape of its nose, has tripled in number. Birds are faring considerably less well. Bob Stebbings, who started studying bats as a child in the early 1950s, reckons that Britain still has many fewer than it once did. In the 18th century, the Rev Gilbert White claimed to see hundreds of bats at once over the River Thames. Poisonous timber treatments, bad weather and more intensive agriculture killed many bats in the second half of the 20th century. 'The bad bits of land that had rotting haystacks and old farm machinery disappeared,' says Mr Stebbings. Bats can live for decades, generally have just one pup a year and form colonies. As a result, the accidental or deliberate eradication of a big maternity roost can set a species back for years. Bats are probably reviving in Britain because environmental laws have made such shocks rare. They seem to resist white-nose syndrome, caused by a fungus, better than American bats. They have long been associated with magic, especially the dodgy kind. In 'Macbeth', the witches chuck bat fur into their stew. In Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula turns into a bat. The Victorian fascination with vampire bats (which live in Latin America) did not help. But bats would probably have disturbed anyway. As birdlike creatures that lack feathers, they strike some as untidy and unnatural. These days bats have the magical power of blocking housing and infrastructure, or raising its cost. Norfolk County Council is struggling to build a major road near Norwich because of a colony of rare barbastelle bats. Nearby, in Thetford, people who oppose the redevelopment of a council estate have installed dozens of bat boxes, hoping to entice some of the protected creatures. Notoriously, a 'bat protection structure' is being built over the new hs2 railway line in Buckinghamshire at a cost of over £100m ($135m). For a government eager for growth, this is unacceptable. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has urged builders to 'stop worrying about the bats and the newts'. A planning bill that is working its way through Parliament will weaken legal protections for bats and other creatures. Developers should find it easier to demolish habitat in one place, provided they pay into a fund that enhances it somewhere else. The Bat Conservation Trust argues that the bill creates a 'licence to kill'. But the charity, and other wildlife outfits that oppose the legislation, have a problem. Although bats currently enjoy powerful legal protections, they have few close friends. The bct has 5,410 members, though other people belong to local bat groups. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has almost 1.2m. Ms Reeves would not dare to speak casually of cuckoos or curlews. Public attitudes to bats have warmed over the years, though not to the point of adoration. A Greek study of attitudes to 12 species found that western barbastelle bats came dead last for attractiveness, below black vultures and fire-bellied toads. A study of Americans put bats roughly level with sharks. Cute in real life, bats can appear diabolical in photographs, making them the opposite of human supermodels. Technology could make them more popular. Bat detectors are becoming cheaper and better. They tell people what kind of bats are around them, and can turn their inaudible sound waves into pretty patterns on a screen. From there, it is a short step to recognising a few species by sight. Noctules rise early and fly high and straight; pipistrelles flit at tree height; Daubenton's bats fly low and skilfully over water, plucking insects off the surface with their feet. The better you know something, the more you worry about it.
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Norfolk schools under threat because of falling birth rate
A mother says she fears closing schools because of falling birth rates will prove to be a "short-sighted" County Council has warned that with the number of children being born is falling significantly, with more schools likely to be shut down."The reality is that with nearly a third fewer pupils, we will likely need fewer schools," said Penny Carpenter. the cabinet member for children's Amira Stallion, who has campaigned against the closure of her sons' primary, said school places would be needed with major housing developments planned for the county. "I think this is a quick decision that's going to have a long-term effect," she said. The drop in the UK's birth rate is a growing concern for authorities and education 591,072 babies were born in 2023, fewer than in any year since Norfolk, a county council report explained that almost 9,500 children started secondary school at the beginning of this school at the start of next term, around 7,500 will be joining primary school. 'Surplus places' That number is expected to fall even further – to 7,000 – in 2027."We are going to see a large number of surplus places in our primary schools," said problem for schools is that the bulk of their funding depends on how many pupils they have - fewer children means less money."The financial situation in schools is very tight anyway," explained Sarah Shirras, the executive headteacher of The Hive Federation – which runs two primary schools in Norwich and Brundall."If we have a class that has only 26 children, it still needs a teacher, it still needs a teaching assistant – and that doesn't cost me any less than a class with 30 children in it."But those four children would mean you're down about £16,000 a year. So it's a huge difference as they work their way through the years." The falling pupil numbers mean that schools are more likely to be closed down for not having enough children - like Great Dunham Stallion's two sons attend the school and she has campaigned against plans to merge it with Beeston Primary, more than three miles campaign was unsuccessful and the school will shut at the end of this said it was particularly hard on her older son who has additional needs and felt more comfortable in a small school "with a family feel"."It's had a huge impact on his mental health," she said."All he's doing is worrying about where he's going to be."The Unity Education Trust, which runs Great Dunham, said it projected pupil numbers to fall from 42 to just 13 in five years."The decision to amalgamate was driven by several factors, including declining pupil numbers, the long-term financial sustainability of the school, and our commitment to providing the best educational opportunities," said the trust's chief executive Glyn Mrs Stallion believes there will be a need for a school in the area in years to come."I feel like it's short-sighted. "I know there's massive developments planned around Great Dunham that will be housing families who will need schools." Penny Carpenter said the council would be working with school leaders on how to address the problem of a falling pupil population."It won't be easy," she admitted.A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said it was "increasing school funding to £69.5bn by 2028-29, with record levels of per-pupil funding.""We have awarded 300 primary schools £37m to repurpose their spare space, as part of our school-based nurseries roll out which will increase access to early education from this September," she added. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Weekend closures announced for works on A140 Long Stratton bypass
A series of weekend and overnight closures have been announced for works on a new County Council said once complete, the works on the A140 at Long Stratton would cut congestion through the town and support the local economy. The bypass will join the A140, which is the main route between Norwich and Ipswich, via a new junction at Church Lane to the north of Long Stratton and at Oakside Farm to the project is expected to be completed by late 2025. The authority said the project was "priority infrastructure" in supporting the delivery of housing and employment growth in the area. It added that the cost estimate has increased to £46.9m because of delays in the planning process and impacts linked to inflation, including the Covid pandemic and the war in for the project comes from the Department for Transport's Major Road Network Fund and local contributions, including money from the Greater Norwich Growth Board. Ministers approved the 2.5 mile (3.9km) bypass in 2023 after motorists said the road had become a "pinch point" at Long Stratton. A full closure will be in place on the A140 between St Michael's Road and Brands Lane overnight from 20:00 BST on Thursday, 3 July to 06:00 on Friday, 4 July. There will also be weekend closures at this location from 20:00 on Friday, 4 July to 06:00 on Monday, 7 July, and from 20:00 on Friday, 25 July until 06:00 on Monday, 28 July. The authority said another weekend closure on the A140 near Oakside Farm is planned for the first weekend in August. Bus services will also be affected and diversions will be put in place for motorists. Once the works are complete, sections of the new bypass will be used to divert traffic around the existing A140 while works at Church Lane and Parkers Lane are carried out. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Anger after King's Lynn road improvement plan stalls
A "once-in-a-generation" scheme to revitalise the entrance to a historic town has stalled after funding for road improvements was Ring, deputy leader of West Norfolk Council, said he was "deeply disappointed" that improvements to King's Lynn's Southgates junction had been said it risked hampering efforts to enhance the area, known for its medieval gateway and which has severe traffic County Council said the project had been scrapped after the price tag rose to £32m. The decision means £10m in funding intended for west Norfolk will be returned to the Department for a revised £19.6m scheme will go ahead to improve the one-way system around Austin Street, Blackfriars Road and Railway an Independent, said: "This decision risks stalling progress on a transformational project that is vital to the future of our town and wider community."This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revitalise the area, enhance infrastructure and deliver long-term economic and social benefits for both residents and businesses."We will explore every available route to deliver the Southgate Master Plan and ensure that this iconic gateway to King's Lynn receives the attention and regeneration it so clearly deserves." This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
