Graham Plant. Norfolk County Council cabinet member for planning and transportation.
Norfolk County Council suffers £4.1m transport cash blow
by DAN GRIMMER
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
1:31 PM
An ambitious scheme which would see a major shake-up in the way traffic travels through Norwich city centre has suffered a major blow, after a bid for £4.1m of government cash was rejected.
The money was being sought to transform bus routes through Norwich, including making Chapel Field North made two-way for buses and cars travelling down Westlegate stopped from carrying on into Rampant Horse Street, but instead forced right into Red Lion Street,
Cash would also have been used to improve access to jobs and services along the A1065 between Thetford and Fakenham, and to boost growth opportunities along the A11 between Thetford and Norwich.
Last month, the council’s bid was not named in an initial list of projects set to get cash, but officers had hoped it would still secure funding.
However, today (Wednesday) the council was told its bid had been unsuccessful.
The plans would have gone hand in hand with a £2.6m scheme which did secure government cash earlier this year to close St Stephens Street to general traffic, create a new bus lane for Grapes Hill, introduce smart tickets for park and ride buses and bring in reduced fares for 16 to 19-year-olds who use buses.
Graham Plant, cabinet member for planning and transportation said: “This is very disappointing because the measures put forward would have enhanced those being developed after our £2.6m Better Bus Area Fund success, and would have accelerated some of the Transport for Norwich initiatives, such as the Chapelfield North bus route, that we want to push forward alongside the development of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road.
“We will of course want to know why the DfT did not support our bid, but we have to accept that we have done extremely well recently, securing £86.5m towards the NDR, followed by the £2.6m Better Bus Area funding.”
He said the council would also have to look again at the issues around the A1065 and the A11.
But he added: “I am confident that this announcement is only a temporary setback. We are determined to remove obstacles to prosperity in Norfolk.
“Effective campaigning has already been successful on the A11, and we must continue to press the case for A47 and rail improvements.”
dan.grimmer@archant.co.uk
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14 comments
John L Cooper - Isn't it twice bitten, twice shy? Wasn't Graham Plant also one of the people involved in the big screen calamity for Great Yarmouth? It does seem to be that people who are inept get promoted in this administartion!
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smithrob
Thursday, June 28, 2012
We must accept being rejected for a Grant, and there have been quite a few since the previous cabinet on GYBC made such a waste of the £18 million Grant for Gt. Yarmouth’s seaside pond, oh sorry Outer Harbour isn’t it? And Mr. Plant was on that one, once bitten twice shy say the Grant Givers.
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John L Cooper
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
i agree-Mr Plant has not been on a bus since he was a schoolboy?
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bookworm
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The day Graham Plant stops claiming his mileage allowance and gets on a bus instead will be the day I start to take him seriously....
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Fenscape
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
"Cash would also have been used to improve access to jobs and services along the.........." Can someone tell me how the old mantra, trotted out yet again, about jobs works ?. How does it improve access to jobs if there are none ?.
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"V"
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
"Cash would also have been used to improve access to jobs and services along the.........." Can someone tell me how the old mantra, trotted out yet again, about jobs works ?. How does it improve access to jobs if there are none ?.
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"V"
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Declared Conservative freemason G. Plant said “I am confident that this announcement is only a temporary setback. We are determined to remove obstacles to prosperity in Norfolk." So the lack of central funding for this badly understood scheme is an obstacle to prosperity? Conservatives accusing each other. The lack of adequate cycle provisions,. the add on thoughts on bus information and the lack of forward thinking with regards to public transport in the 21st century is palpable. NCC is out of touch on all of the above.
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ingo wagenknecht
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Thats good news. This whole concept was about making the City an even more unfriendly place to visit.
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el84
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Trying to understand this story is not easy. Banning cars from proceeding straight ahead from Westlegate but being forced to turn right can only mean that this transport will be making a clockwise circle- Red Lion Street turning right to the west of the Castle. Right again passing the Woolpack, before turning right again into Weslegate. The alternative would be for this traffic to turn left at Rouen Road filtering by the Mall Car Park entrance, and arriving at the 3 into 4 lanes at the Bank Plain junction... Or of course traffic approaching Weslegate could always veer left at All Saints Green before attempting to turn right and join Queens Road. Who ever came up with this novel idea, must have dropped a tin of spaghetti on to a plate for their inspiration. Are they still trying to convince the inhabitants of North Norwich that this NDR is a good idea?
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Joe Rome
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Trying to understand this story is not easy. Banning cars from proceeding straight ahead from Westlegate but being forced to turn right can only mean that this transport will be making a clockwise circle- Red Lion Street turning right to the west of the Castle. Right again passing the Woolpack, before turning right again into Weslegate. The alternative would be for this traffic to turn left at Rouen Road filtering by the Mall Car Park entrance, and arriving at the 3 into 4 lanes at the Bank Plain junction... Or of course traffic approaching Weslegate could always veer left at All Saints Green before attempting to turn right and join Queens Road. Who ever came up with this novel idea, must have dropped a tin of spaghetti on to a plate for their inspiration. Are they still trying to convince the inhabitants of North Norwich that this NDR is a good idea?
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Joe Rome
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
what is "better bus area fund"??? i suspect that is why my fares went up 20% at Easter.
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bookworm
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
if i may quote Windsor Davies in IT AINT HALF HOT MUM--- "oh dear,how sad,never mind".
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bookworm
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Council: " oh, those changes we may a couple of Years were a bad idea, can we have some more money for yet another badly thought out plan"....Government "Erm, on yer bike son"....... Glad these plans were rejected, massive waste of money
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Crazy
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Council: " oh, those changes we may a couple of Years were a bad idea, can we have some more money for yet another badly thought out plan"....Government "Erm, on yer bike son"....... Glad these plans were rejected, massive waste of money
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Crazy
Wednesday, June 27, 2012