New options assessment work for Norwich Western Link

Norfolk County Council has laid out plans to assess options for a Norwich Western Link, to tackle growing traffic issues and improve travel to the west of Norwich. 

The County Council's cabinet will be asked to approve the options assessment work, which would include a public consultation, when they meet on Monday 7 July. If approved, options that would be assessed would include improvements to the existing road network, public transport and active travel proposals (such as measures to support walking, wheeling and cycling) as well as new single and dual carriageway routes. 

Traffic congestion and delays are significant issues on local roads and in communities to the west of Norwich. This is creating knock-on impacts such as road safety problems, stymied business growth and profitability due to longer and unreliable journey times, and delays to travel to key sites such as the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and Norwich Airport. 

Cllr Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport at Norfolk County Council, said: "We have a responsibility to the local communities, businesses and people who regularly travel through the area to try to tackle the traffic problems to the west of Norwich, which are projected to get worse with planned housing and employment growth in and around the city. 

"I've seen first-hand just how dreadful these problems are in communities to the west of Norwich. Problems such as queues of vehicles clogging up roads in residential areas and getting stuck at junctions, and cars and vans trying to get past each other on completely unsuitable single-track roads are extremely common. 

"We have been and are continuing to implement some smaller-scale measures which may provide some relief to affected communities. However a larger scale intervention is still needed through our Norwich Western Link project in order to improve the situation significantly. We have an opportunity to investigate this now, with the support of the Department for Transport." 

Norfolk County Council previously submitted a planning application for a 3.9-mile dual carriageway road built between the A47 and Broadland Northway. However this was withdrawn in January this year after the Council were unable to resolve an objection from Natural England.  

The objection related to barbastelle bats, which are present in the area to the west of Norwich, and it wasn't until Natural England published new guidance relating to this species of bat, days before the planning application was due to be submitted, that the Council became aware that there was a significant impediment to delivering the previous route. 

Since the planning application was withdrawn the County Council has been in discussions with DfT over the next steps for the project. They have agreed in principle and subject to the completion of DfT processes to funding of £960k, or two-thirds of the overall estimated cost of £1.43 million of the options assessment work, DfT have also confirmed that the previously agreed Strategic Outline Business Case for the project does not need to be resubmitted.

Input from Natural England will continue to be sought throughout the options assessment work, to give the County Council confidence that any shortlisted options are likely to be acceptable to them.  

Based on engagement with them since publication of the new guidance for barbastelle bats, and their comments on the previous planning application proposals, it is considered highly unlikely that a dual carriageway route or a viaduct across the River Wensum as previously proposed would be acceptable. This will be factored into the options assessment work alongside other information, including other knowledge gained through work on the project to date. 

The report to the July cabinet meeting recommends reporting back the outcome of the options assessment work and public consultation next summer, and - depending on the outcome of this work - potentially recommending a preferred option for a Norwich Western Link at that stage. 

The report on the Norwich Western Link project will be considered by Norfolk County Council's cabinet on Monday 7 July 2025. People can watch the meeting, live or afterwards, and read the reports online.