Fears over impact of dualling A47 in Norfolk addressed
It's thought the road could unlock thousands of homes and jobs.
A Norfolk councillor has addressed fears over a potential rise of more than 100,000 houses and increased pollution, brought about by the proposed dualling of the A47.
Efforts to dual the road, which runs east to west from Lowestoft, through Great Yarmouth, Norwich, King’s Lynn and out to Peterborough, have been under way for several years.
Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council (NCC)’s cabinet member for highways, said the three priorities of the A47 Alliance, of which NCC is a member, includes the dualling of the Acle Straight, dualling Tilney to East Winch and Wisbech to Peterborough.
He said the dualling would unlock 125,000 houses and 75,000 jobs, create more than £330m uplift from new employment and £200m of benefits from enhanced productivity.
In comments on Tuesday, councillor Wilby said it was “crucial” however that the county also puts in place “the appropriate infrastructure to support the housing growth and the jobs” that come with the road.
He said furthermore that the dualled highway would help to attract that infrastructure, as it would make the county more accessible and appealing for business.
Green county councillor Jamie Osborn outlined his opposition to the dualling, saying: “Carbon emissions from transport in Norfolk have been rising over the last decade due to the county council’s obsession with making Norfolk a ‘car county’.”
He added: “New or expanded roads always mean more cars and more cars always mean an increase in emissions.”
“The council seems to be in denial about that fact. By pushing through more road-building projects such as dualling the A47, the Norwich Western Link and others, they are ignoring the climate emergency and wasting money on infrastructure that will only mean more traffic.”
Responding to Mr Osborn’s concerns, Mr Wilby said: “We need the dualling on the A47 to lessen the congestion that we hear about every day along that route.”
He said that less congestion would mean less pollution, and that the extra carriageway would enable “more consistent journey times” for people travelling east or west across the county.
Mr Wilby also said a rise in electric vehicles in Norfolk will help to reduce emission rates.
Businesses across the county have responded with great enthusiasm to NCC’s renewed push at dualling the road.