Plans to dual part of A47 near Norwich take step forward
Highways England has put in planning documents
Last updated 5th Feb 2021
Plans to dual the A47 near Norwich have taken a step forward.
Highways England has officially submitted a planning application to turn the stretch between Blofield and North Burlingham into a dual carriageway.
Highways England is upgrading six stretches of the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth as part of a £300 million improvement, including this section in Norfolk.
The preferred option for upgrading the Blofield to North Burlingham stretch was announced in November 2017, and includes proposals to replace the existing single-lane section with a new two-lane dual carriageway 70m south of the existing road. Safety improvements will also be made to the Yarmouth Road junction, closing the right turn and adding a dedicated lane to join the A47.
Highways England will also add a new bridge over the new dual carriageway to connect the villages of Blofield and North Burlingham, and to take traffic from Blofield toward Great Yarmouth.
The Planning Inspectorate will now start the process of a full examination of Highways England's proposals before deciding whether to grant a Development Consent Order, which would give the green-light for construction to begin.
Chris Griffin, Highways England Programme Lead for the A47 schemes, said:
"This stretch of road connects areas of growing economic activity between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. Whilst around half of the A47 is already dual carriageway, the Blofield to North Burlingham section is not. Sandwiched between two dual carriageway sections, this stretch of the road acts as a bottleneck, resulting in congestion and slower journey times.
"The decision represents a major milestone for the scheme, not only for us as the project team but for all those who have supported this project over a number of years. We look forward to moving onto the next stage of the decision process and for construction to begin in the coming years."
The proposal is one of six projects that Highways England is doing to improve the A47. Three sections of the 115-mile stretch of the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth will be upgraded to dual carriageway.
Norfolk sections will be upgraded between Blofield and North Burlingham and from North Tuddenham to Easton, while in Peterborough the A47 between Wansford and Sutton will also be dualled. There will be further junction improvements at the A11 Thickthorn roundabout for Norwich, and at Great Yarmouth junctions.
Due to the scale of the project, the proposal for the A47 between Blofield and North Burlingham is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), which are large, complex infrastructure projects that benefit the entire country.
The examination process will give residents with the opportunity to comment on the proposals in writing as well as participate in hearings. Following the examination, the Planning Inspector will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport, who will decide whether the project will go ahead.
If approved, construction is expected to take place in 2022/ 2023.