Long Stratton Bypass

Norfolk County Council is currently working in collaboration with South Norfolk District Council, Norfolk Homes Ltd and Norfolk Land Ltd to develop proposals to deliver a long-awaited bypass of Long Stratton on the eastern side of the town, which will cut congestion and support the local economy.

The proposed new A140 bypass will be a single carriageway road that will provide a new junction at Church Lane to the north, extending from this junction on the east side of Long Stratton in a southerly direction for approximately 3.9km, where it will re-join the existing A140 just south of Oakside farm.

Delivery of a bypass is linked to the aims and objectives stated within the already adopted Joint Core Strategy (JCS) and the Long Stratton Area Action Plan (LSAAP). It is also a priority infrastructure project for Norfolk County Council and is considered key to supporting the delivery of much needed housing and employment growth in the area.

Crucial site investigation works were carried out at the end of Summer 2020 and at the October meeting of the council's cabinet, approval was given for the formation of a new steering group to oversee delivery of the project.

An outline business case submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) to bid for Major Road Network funding to help facilitate delivery of the project was approved by government in July 2021.

The full detail of the outline business case can be viewed on the link below.

The outline business case estimated the current overall cost of delivering Long Stratton Bypass at £37.44m. In March 2022, planning permission was halted following the issues of new guidance from Natural England to local planning authorities concerning nutrient neutrality. The guidance requires planning authorities to seek additional mitigation proposals in all planning applications in respect of nutrient neutrality to avoid impacts to special areas of conservation (SAC).

The latest cost estimate has increased to £46.9m due to unforeseen delays in the planning process, ongoing national and worldwide impacts linked to inflation, such as the pandemic and more recently the war in Ukraine.

The project would be mainly externally funded with 70% from the DfT's Major Road Network Fund and 30% from local contributions made up primarily of developer contributions and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions, which includes £14.5m made available through the Greater Norwich Growth Board.

Archaeological investigations were completed in early 2023 and updated documentation to the previously submitted planning applications from the developers received full planning permission from South Norfolk Council in September 2023.

In November 2023 Norfolk County Council's cabinet approved recommendations to submit the final Full Business Case to Government. In addition, on completion of the current procurement process, the recommendations also include for the awarding of the contract for construction and the potential for  preparation works to begin (PDF) [119KB] as early as January 2024 to ensure the long awaited bypass can be built as quickly as possible.

The Side Roads Order has now also been confirmed by the Secretary of State. The roads are due to close from 22 April 2024 to allow construction to begin at the earliest opportunity. For further details on the closures  view the Long Stratton Bypass works public information notice (PDF) [173KB].