It might sound like a bit of an exaggeration, but after three years’ work, the long-term future growth of Norwich now lies in a government inspector’s hands.
Norwich city council and its neighbours have long harboured plans to build a relief road, circumnavigating the northern side of the city, to mirror the southern bypass.
The previous government allocated funding for the road as it was seen as essential to easing congestion in the city centre. This, in turn, would make public transport proposals, such as a bus rapid transit system, more viable. Moreover, it is seen as essential for unlocking land to meet projected housing and job creation targets of 37,000 and 35,000, respectively, over the next 15 years.
The successful Broadlands Business Park on the eastern side of the city has already had further development curtailed because its key access point, the Postwick junction, where the A47 meets the A1042, is too congested. Plans to improve the junction form part, and possibly the first phase, of the plans to build a northern distributor road (NDR).
The significance of the road has grown in recent years, not just because of the pressure on Norwich’s infrastructure, but because it is at the heart of the Greater Norwich Development Partnership’s joint core strategy.
GNDP is made up of Norwich city council, Broadland district council, South Norfolk council and the county council. They have spent three years working together on the strategy, which lays out where and how the city will meet its housing and job creation goals.
Plans off the rails
Plans for the road hit the buffers when the coalition government came to power and withdrew funding. The GNDP has been asked, alongside the backers of a number of other infrastructure projects in the country, to submit expressions of interest for funds to the Department for Transport.
Paul Clark, regional office partner at Bidwells, says: “The government has said yes to the dualling of the final 10-mile stretch of the A11. I am sceptical whether we will get additional funding for the NDR.
“Does it sit as a high priority compared with other national infrastructure projects?”
Optimism
But those in the public sector do not share his scepticism. Mike Jackson director of environment, transport and development at Norfolk county council, says: “We remain optimistic that we will get funding for the NDR because it is one of the best-performing schemes in the pool [of projects seeking cash from the DfT] and has the best cost-to-benefit ratios and highest proportion of alternative contributions.”
Chris Starkie, chief executive of Shaping Norfolk’s Future, says he does not expect the inspector to say no, because of the importance of the road for wider transport initiatives and future growth.
The GNDP has complied with the inspector’s request to clarify its alternative plans should it not receive a green light for the completed NDR.
One suggestion is that the improvements to the Postwick junction, which have been packaged with the NDR, are once again separated. Improving that junction would form a first phase for the eastern end of the NDR and would allow further development to happen at Broadlands Business Park, which could help create space for up to 3,000 jobs, as well as unlocking land for 1,600 homes.
The Postwick improvements have planning permission but are stuck in an inquiry into its distributor roads.
A decision by the inspector on the core strategy, and with it the NDR, is expected in March or early April.
Further threat
If the answer is no, it poses a further threat to Norwich. The core strategy has already gone through a consultation process so any developers looking to submit a planning application will have to do so without guidance. It could mean going through further lengthy consultation processes.
Jonathan Cage of the Create Consultancy, which advises the private sector, says: “We don’t know what will happen to the GNDP if the core strategy does not get adopted. You might be left dealing with individual members and some are more pro-development than others. Most developers would prefer to have the policy background.”
Can Norwich grow without the NDR?
“North-east Norwich is made up of a number of parishes and there are areas that can come forward, but the amount of development will be dependent on existing infrastructure and that could be the conclusion that the inspector comes to.”
David Merrick, director, Savills
“Development of business space for jobs and housing needs to be accessible and there are not significant areas zoned for employment and housing around the existing infrastructure.”
James Allen, senior partner, Roche
“The majority of growth predictions cannot be delivered without the NDR.”
Mike Jackson, director of environment, transport and development, Norfolk county council
“Housing growth will continue regardless, but commercial growth might be stunted because businesses need better access.”
Chris Hill, head of business support and leisure services, Broadland district council
