Norwich Western Link project update
Dear Sir/Madam
The last time I emailed you about our Norwich Western Link project was in July. You might recall that my cabinet colleagues and I gave the green light to officers to assess options that would tackle the growing transport problems and improve travel to the west of Norwich, with a wide range of options on the table. You can refresh your memory about this here, should you wish to (full link also at the end of this email).
The project team have started this work, which has included asking for input from local community representatives, to check what they would like us to consider at this stage. We’ve had some really useful comments provided to us, which we’re currently making our way through, and I’d like to thank those who took the time to give us their thoughts.
We haven’t been able to progress the options assessment work as quickly as we had originally hoped as the Department for Transport (DfT) are currently carrying out a review of projects, all of which are at a similar stage of development, prior to confirming further funding, and this has also taken up some of the team’s time in working with DfT on this process.
We believe we’re in a good position with the Norwich Western Link, and the Department for Transport have been very supportive of the project, including approving in-principle development funding of nearly £1 million earlier this summer. Until this funding is confirmed however, we are ensuring that we work within the County Council’s agreed contribution of £470,000 towards the options assessment work.
We hope this review will conclude in the near future (we have been told by DfT it’s due to be completed before the end of the year) and we are impressing on DfT the importance of getting their funding contribution confirmed as soon as possible. Ultimately, we want to get on with finding and delivering an effective solution to the transport issues in the area to the west of Norwich as soon as we can. We’ll update you further once we know the outcome.
In the meantime, if you know anyone who might be interested in receiving these updates, we’ve added a sign-up button to our website at www.norfolk.gov.uk/nwl. These project webpages have also been updated over the summer to reflect the current status of the project, so they might be worth a look if you haven’t visited them for some time.
Best wishes,
Graham
Cllr Graham Plant
Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure
Norfolk County Council
Link to news story from early summer: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/article/70461/New-options-assessment-work-for-Norwich-Western-Link
If you wish to contact the Norwich Western Link project team, please email norwichwesternlink@norfolk.gov.uk