Latest news with #NorwichWesternLink
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Council back to drawing board over failed Norwich link road
A council which spent £56m on a failed road project will be going back to the drawing board to try and find an alternative County Council had to withdraw its plans for the controversial Norwich Western Link road earlier this year because of concerns about its impact on rare Plant, the Conservative councillor responsible for transport, said the authority was now "looking at alternative options" and aimed to have a preferred choice by next of the Labour group, Steve Morphew, said a "plan B" should already have been in place and he could not "think of another example of a scheme so badly handled". The 3.9-mile (6.2km) link road was due to connect the Northern Distributor Road to the A47 west of the city, and had been in the works for aim was to ease congestion and reduce rat-running through after government advisers Natural England changed the rules protecting rare barbastelle bats, the council withdrew its planning council said it planned to spend £1.43m on exploring different options for the Western Link, with just under £1m of the funding expected to come from the Department for Transport (DfT).However, a DfT spokesman said "no decisions have yet been made" on funding, and they would "provide updates on specific schemes in due course." Plant, who insisted that drawing up a full-formed alternative earlier would have been too expensive, said he was "as confident as you can be" that a solution could be found."We'll be going back through previous options that we looked at – about 80 of them – but we'll be looking at new options as well."The council admitted a dual carriageway over the River Wensum was unlikely because of the eco-restrictions, but said a single carriageway could be an on developing the Western Link has already cost £56m, with £33m provided by the said the money had been "wasted".'I can't think of another example of a scheme so badly handled," he added."I wouldn't trust this Conservative administration to sweep the roads, let alone have another go at building one." Liberal Democrat leader Brian Watkins said it was "no surprise that the Western Link in its original form is dead".He added: "The Conservatives must take full responsibility for the wasted money and time which has been pumped into this doomed project."The council said it would run a consultation on alternative proposals for the Western Link and intended to confirm its preferred option by next summer. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
05-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Norfolk council 'wasted resources' on Norwich Western Link road
Norfolk County Council "wasted valuable resources" with its plans for a £274m link road, a government minister has of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood also accused the authority of "failing its constituents" over the Norwich Western Link (NWL), after it withdrew its planning application for the council did that as it had little hope of permission being given because of rules from Natural England protecting Barbastelle Plant, the Conservative councillor responsible for transport, said he thought the minister "may have been misinformed". The council has spent £56m on the project and Greenwood's comments came in a letter sent to senior Labour figures in the withdrawal of the planning application, she wrote: "It is clear to me that Norfolk County Council have failed your constituents, wasted valuable resources and left local residents vulnerable to rat-running." The comments suggest the chances of the road ever being built are low, but Plant said the council still hoped to "achieve a good outcome for Norfolk related to the Norwich Western Link".In response to the minister's letter, he said the council was still "working closely" with the government on an alternative solution but he thought she "may have been misinformed":"I would be happy to meet with her to explain the situation and the enormous amount of hard work that has gone into developing this important infrastructure project," he council did receive better news earlier this week, with the government confirming it will not ask for £33m which it provided for the NWL to be repaid.A Department for Transport spokesperson said it was "committed to improving transport across Norwich to power local growth, jobs and opportunity". Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
04-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
DfT 'will not ask' for £33m Norwich link road funds
The government "will not ask" for the return of £33m funding it granted towards a £274m road plan which has since dropped, according to a council. Norfolk County Council withdrew its planning application for the Norwich Western Link in January, because of concerns about its impact on rare Conservative-run authority has spent £56m on the project near Norwich, which included the government funds. Opposition groups warned this could leave it with a large hole in its Plant, cabinet member for transport, said the council had now had "really constructive" discussions with the Department for Transport (DfT), which has been approached for comment by the BBC. The 3.9-mile (6.2km) Norwich Western Link would connect the Northern Distributor Road to the A47 west of the city, and had been in the works for years."There is a mutual commitment to continue to work together to tackle the growing transport and traffic problems to the west of Norwich, which are projected to worsen with planned housing and employment growth in and around the city," said Plant."As a result of these discussions, DfT have confirmed that they will not ask for the £33m they have already committed to the project to be returned."The council said the Western Link would have cut traffic congestion, reduce journey times and improve air quality in new Natural England rules protecting rare barbastelle bats meant a licence was unlikely to be millions of pounds had already been spent on the project, including buying land, as well as staff and consultants' said discussions with the DfT continued and the council hoped "to be able to provide a further update on the outcome of these discussions shortly, including regarding the future of the project and the next steps". Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
28-01-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Norfolk council questioned over Western Link Road costs
Questions have been asked about how millions of pounds spent on a controversial road plan will be repaid if it is not County Council has withdrawn its planning application for the Norwich Western Link (NWL), but could have to repay the £33m the government provided for the the road unlikely to go ahead, opposition parties asked what plans the Conservative-run authority had in place to cover money already leader Kay Mason Billig said costs for the project had "always" been included in the council's budget. Last week, the council dropped its planning application to the government for the 3.9-mile (6.2km) road connecting the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) around Norwich to the A47 west of the was because rules protecting rare 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. Mason Billig told a council meeting the authority was still in talks with government about whether the project had a future."I can't give you an exact answer, because until the DfT [Department for Transport] come forward with the answers to our questions, we're not going to know which direction we need to head in," she was responding to a question from Labour councillor Steve Morphew, who had pointed out the council's own "risk register" listed the costs of the road as a "red risk"."It is quite extraordinary the Conservative administration has painted Norfolk into this damaging corner despite multiple warnings," he said. The Greens' Jamie Osborn also asked for details of a contingency plan and said the council could face "financial catastrophe" if it needed to repay millions of the meeting, he said he wanted to see "honesty from the Conservatives and clarity on where they expect the money to come from".Despite growing doubts over the future of the road, the council insisted it still hoped to build the Conservative councillor responsible for transport, Graham Plant, said: "We haven't dropped it; we haven't stopped it."The Department for Transport has said it would "continue to work with Norfolk County Council on measures to improve congestion [problems]". Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
