The University of East Anglia has moved to distance itself from opposition to the controversial £198m Norwich Western Link road.
It has clarified its position as research work by academics has become an element against the plans.
Last month Dr Lotty Packman, director of Wild Wings Ecology and an associate at the UEA, appeared in a video with Chris Packham who said the project would do “irreparable damage”.
Dr Packman has carried out surveys on the possible impact on bat colonies along the proposed 3.9 mile expansion, which is opposed by Labour and Green groups at County Hall, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the Norfolk Rivers Trust and the Bat Conservation Trust.
In a statement the university said it had “not taken an institutional view of the merits or not of the North Western Link Road”.
But it added: “It is important that our academics engage in research that helps to further the understanding, debate and decision-making around the environmental, economic and societal impacts of the current proposals for North Western Link Road and any alternative proposals that emerge."
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