The Norfolk public will get a fresh opportunity to make their views known about the long-running saga of the £251m Norwich Western Link road.




The county council have announced details of a consultation phase, before a planning application is finalised and submitted next year, with the aim of construction starting in late 2024 and being open for use in late 2026.

The consultation will start on Monday, August 15, and run until midnight on Sunday, October 9, t

The 3.9-mile road would connect the A1067 Fakenham Road to the A47 near Honingham via a new road between Weston Longville and Ringland.

That would fill the ‘missing link’ between the A1270 Broadland Northway and the A47, completing a major route around Norwich after the £205m Broadland Northway – previously known as the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) - was opened fully in April 2018.

It was revealed in June that inflated constructed costs - and the need to realign the route due to bats - had pushed the cost of the road up to £251m from the previous estimate of £198m.

That didn’t stop the county council’s cabinet last month voting to proceed with those costs, with the government to be asked to fund £213.4m of the total.

While supporters of the road cite major economic and transport benefits, opposition campaign group Stop the Western Link have an online petition which has attracted over 10,000 signatures.

Four consultation events will be held during the consultation, with information on display and members of the project team available to discuss the proposals. These events will be held at:

  • Barnham Broom Village Hall on Friday, September 2 (12-8pm)
  • The Costessey Centre on Friday, September 9 (1-8pm)
  • Weston Longville Hall for All on Thursday, September 15 (12-8pm)
  • Felthorpe Village Hall on Thursday, September 22 (12-8pm)

Martin Wilby, cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure at the county council, said: “This is our fourth public consultation on the Norwich Western Link and it will provide more details on the design of the route, including the viaduct over the River Wensum, as well as complementary measures being proposed as part of the project.

“This is a vital piece of infrastructure for Norfolk that will bring in national investment and make a huge positive difference to local residents, businesses, emergency services and visitors to our county.”

Once the consultation has launched, people will be able to view information at norfolk.gov.uk/nwl.