ISSUE OF THE WEEK 1 : Balancing Economic Growth with Protecting the Environment – the Norwich Western Link Road

January 1, 2023 admin 2023, Issue of the Week 1

The planned road from Broadland Northway roundabout (Norfolk County Council)

This is the first in our ‘issue of the week’ series which are designed to collect information and resources together about specific matters of political debate. Although we are publishing a number of documents every week for each new issue, we will also continually add new resources to these pages to make them as comprehensive as possible. We also hope that students will find the topics useful as a starting point for research on matters of political interest.

For this week’s ‘issue’, we’re looking at how politicians can balance economic growth whilst also protecting the environment, especially on matters of infrastructure projects. One of these current debates is in Norfolk, East Anglia, with the planned Norwich Western Link. We have interviews with Martin Wilby, a Conservative councillor and the Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport at Norfolk County Council, and also the campaign group established to oppose the road, Stop the Wensum Link. Listed below, we also have additional interviews we have conducted, as well as collecting together past statement and policy positions from charities, pressure groups and individuals.

The council are supporting the road (the route of which is visible in the council’s own video above) as they argue that it completes the ring of roads (the Southern Bypass which opened in 1992 and the Norwich Northern Distributor Route – which is formally known as the Broadland Northway – which opened in April 2018) around Norwich and will improve transport links in the county. Although Norfolk County Council are the main movers of the project, it is also supported by the majority of other councils in Norfolk, although Norwich City Council oppose the road as it promoted car dependency in the area. The road construction is supported by numerous organisations including Norfolk Fire Service and also the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital who believe on balance that it would be beneficial because of reduced ambulance conveyancing times, as well as Norfolk Chambers of Commerce who say it will meet “our growth ambitions”. Norfolk Constabulary stated that they supported the road as “it would be useful to have the Western Link Road completed which would save officers time when they are on an emergency call rather than go partially around the route and then have to traverse through the city roads”.

However, the reason this section of road was not constructed along with the Broadland Northway was explained by the council stating in their executive summary in 2008:

“[The public consultation led to] strong environmental concerns being expressed about the impact of a new road across the River Wensum Special Area of Conservation (SAC) to which the County Council responded by carrying out further assessment beyond a Stage 2 level to ascertain whether the impact on the SAC could be mitigated. The conclusion was that it could not be demonstrated that the new road would not affect the integrity of the SAC. Alongside this, traffic modelling indicated that a road starting at the A1067 in the west rather than the A47 gave significant benefits and delivered most of the objectives of the NDR scheme and these were key factors in the decision to choose the preferred route as now proposed.”

These environmental concerns are based around the land which would need to be crossed which is the rare chalk stream habitat of the Wensum Valley. The council’s proposals include a bridge across the River Wensum itself, but opponents question whether this would significantly damage not just the natural environment, but also be damaging visually and cause noise issues during both the construction of the road and then from traffic using it. Stop the Wensum Link point to the environmental mitigation measures on the Norwich Broadland Northway and say that these “had failed” with the council’s own inspection report showing issues.

The council are arguing that after reviewing transport usage that this section should now be built. After some initial research and site investigations, there were four suggested routes for the new road which went to a wider consultation and review, with the council preferring route C. Although this consultation is now closed, details of all of the routes are still visible at https://nwloptions.commonplace.is/. The council have organised a number of events explaining the need for the road and they also published the results of the 2018 public consultation exercise.

The council argue that there are economic benefits to the road, stating that the environmental issues can be mitigated. Others argue that the environmental impact is too damaging and the CPRE produced a report with evidence that road projects simply generate more traffic. The Government believe that new infrastructure is necessary for the economy, with the Western Link road being listed in the Government’s September 2022 Growth Plan. Other pressure groups, such as the Campaign for Better Transport, have argued that sustainable transport can reduce the need for new roads and have published a research paper entitled Roads and the Environment. The new road is opposed by environmental groups including Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Earth, the Woodland Trust, Norfolk Rivers Trust and the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists’ Society.

Opponents of the scheme also argue that roads are only necessary because there are a lack of alternative public transport options, with some suggesting that despite environmental concerns the Government is too ready to provide financing for new road projects. The council have also had to amend their preferred route slightly due to the presence of bats in the area, which are a protected species. There is also the challenge of providing access to the road for pedestrians and cyclists, with Norwich Cycling Campaign stating their opposition to the current proposals as they don’t include cycle lanes which the group says is necessary to keep cyclists safe. Other public transport organisations such as First Eastern Counties Buses said that they supported the road because they believed that it would “reduce congestion” in the area. A representative from KonectBus also stated that they supported the Western Link, but wanted the road “to be built as close to the Longwater junction as possible” in their public consultation submission.

Part of the land that would be crossed by the road (copyright UKPOL)

The current cost of the 3.9 mile long road is estimated to be around £251 million, an increase on the previous estimate of £198 million, although opponents of the project have suggested that the final total might be closer to £300 million. The project requires the financial backing of the Department for Transport, who would provide 85% of the total funding. The Government is also committed to continuing a road building programme, but have stated that they are focused on the Strategic Road Network being net zero. However, there is still a significant cost to the council and Stop the Wensum Link note on their web-site:

“Norfolk County Council already have a deficit of £39M, forcing them to hike council tax 3% this year. With construction costs spiralling, high inflation and stagnating wages, throwing more money at building this road makes no sense. Increasing costs and an already debt laden council threatens vital services and risks further tax rises.”

Although the Government’s growth plan of September 2022 mentioned the road, this was under Liz Truss’s brief premiership and no guarantees have been given to the council on whether funding will still be made available. Liz Truss had been in support of the road before becoming Prime Minister and as she was a Norfolk MP, it had seemed very likely that her government would have backed the plans. With Rishi Sunak now Prime Minister, a final decision on the funding is expected to be made in 2023 with the Government needing to balance the economic argument alongside a growing demand for action to be taken to protect the environment and there is also the backdrop of potential national spending cuts being needed to balance the books.

If the funding is made available, the current timetable for the road construction is:

Mid-2022 – Pre-planning application public consultation
Spring 2023 – Submit planning application
Late 2023 – Public inquiry (if required)
Mid-2024 – Full Business Case submitted to the Department for Transport
Late 2024 – Start of construction
Late 2026 – Norwich Western Link open for use

This road is an example of the challenges which local Government have in trying to balance economic growth and the environment. It also shows the cost of embarking on these projects and the substantial amount of work that has to take place to get them to a stage where funding can be secured. For those opposing schemes such as this, there are financial challenges as councils have funding to help them make a business case for a new road, whereas campaigning organisations often have to fund raise to secure their monies. They also often have to be creative in how they can get publicity for their work, with the Stop the Wensum Link group holding numerous events and having a strong social media presence.

Whether or not the road is built, this is likely to be an important case that is watched by other councils and governmental bodies to see how the environmental impact is dealt with. It also shows how much work local councillors have to put in to these projects, often facing opposition to their plans and needing to constantly respond to that. But, on the flip side, it also shows how much work and energy that volunteer campaigners put in towards monitoring projects and putting together arguments to help protect the environment. These are complex arguments and why it is perhaps important for individuals to become engaged in politics to fight for their beliefs to ensure that the best decisions are made.

For readers, we have listed a wide variety of resources below which may help those who are undecided on whether they support this road project and ones like it. We will continue to add to this list and continue to secure more interviews as the project continues.

KEY INTERVIEWS

Martin Wilby

Stop the Wensum Link

INTERVIEWS, RESOURCES AND COMMENTS

Emma Corlett, Deputy Leader Labour Group of Norfolk County Council

Ben Price, Leader of Green Party Group of Norfolk Council Council

Chloe Smith, Conservative MP for Norwich North

Chloe Smith – 2019 Letter to Norfolk County Council on Norwich Western Link

Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South

George Freeman, Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk

Jerome Mayhew, Conservative MP for Broadland

Natalie Bennett, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (former Leader of the Green Party)