The text from an email sent to the Parish Council for sharing with parishioners:
Dear all,
I’m really pleased to tell you that the Norwich Western Link is a step closer to becoming a reality today as we now have a crucial funding commitment from central government for the project.
Today’s [mid October] announcement gives us a commitment from central government to fund the majority of the cost of the project and will bring an anticipated £213m of national investment into the county, with the potential for the government contribution to be uplifted to cover even more of the costs.
You’ll probably be aware that we’ve been waiting, and pushing, for this news for some time, so it’s great that ministers have listened and understood the importance of this new road link for Norfolk, and the wide range benefits it will bring to residents and businesses. It will, I’m sure, be a huge relief to the people worst affected by the traffic congestion on small roads and in communities to the west of Norwich, which is causing knock-on impacts and concerns about air quality, road safety and quality of life.
Now we have this funding commitment we can move the project forward. So what happens next? First of all, we need to finalise the planning application documents – these are already well-developed but we previously couldn’t finalise them given we didn’t know when we would be in a position to submit them. So we do need to do a final review and make any updates as appropriate.
A report will also be brought to the council’s cabinet containing an update on the project and details about the planning application, and I and my fellow cabinet members will be asked to approve submission of the planning application.
As ever, we still have some way to go on the Norwich Western Link and a lot of hard work ahead, but it’s fair to say we have achieved a major milestone with today’s news. It’s important that we continue to invest in transport infrastructure in Norfolk to support all kinds of journeys and accommodate planned growth. The Norwich Western Link, and the significant benefits it will bring to local residents, businesses and the Norfolk economy, is a key part of making sure Norfolk has the transport networks it needs.
Best wishes,
Graham
Cllr Graham Plant, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, Norfolk County Council
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