Norwich City Council rules out Western Link funding support
It remains to be seen whether the new government will be prepared to plug a multi-million funding gap in the project
City Hall has said it will not financially support the £274m Western Link road, which is facing a huge funding deficit.
The Labour-run cabinet at Norwich City Council has lodged an official objection with Norfolk County Council against the project to connect the Northern Distributor Road to the A47.
The 3.9-mile road has faced issues at every turn and it remains to be seen whether the new government will be prepared to plug a multi-million funding gap in the project.
Leaders at City Hall have now pledged to block a pot of money shared by a group of councils, known as the Greater Norwich Growth Board, from being used for the road and making up this shortfall.
A statement from Norwich City Council said: “We do not support the Norwich Western Link scheme as presented in the planning application.
“It is not supported by sufficiently convincing evidence that the road is a critical part of an environmentally progressive and deliverable transport strategy for the city.
“We would not be prepared to support any proposal for the pooled funding resources of the Greater Norwich Growth Board being used to assist with delivery of the scheme.”
The board, made up of the city, county, Broadland and South Norfolk councils, has access to millions collected from developers via the community infrastructure levy.
It is also able to borrow money at special rates from the government’s Public Works Loans Board, which was used to kickstart the Long Stratton bypass.
Members of the board must be unanimous in their decisions about where money is spent – meaning that City Hall has the power to veto any of this fund being used for the road.
The council’s cabinet agreed at a meeting on Wednesday that it would block Norfolk County Council from using the fund if this was to be proposed.
The Department for Transport has committed £213m to the scheme, but County Hall leaders hoped that would be increased to £251m, using money ‘saved’ by cancelling the northern leg of the HS2 rail route.
However, the government failed to confirm extra cash before the election and it remains to be seen what the new Labour government will do.