The A11

Transport secretary Philip Hammond is facing fresh calls to name the day when work on the A11 will finally start.

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Chancellor George Osborne confirmed in October’s comprehensive spending review that the government would press ahead with dualling the final nine-mile stretch of road between Thetford and Barton Mills, and 24 hours later roads minister Mike Penning confirmed funding was in place.

But since then, the Department for Transport (DfT) has only confirmed that work will commence by 2015, and now the government has only confirmed that they are being urged to confirm a start date for the A11.

Now Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council’s cabinet member for travel and transport, has written to Mr Hammond asking him to confirm the start date of the scheme.

Members of the newly formed local enterprise partnership, New Anglia, representing business in Norfolk and Suffolk have also sent a separate letter stating the scheme was of “paramount importance” to the regional economy and urging Mr Hammond to make public the report into the public inquiry about the scheme. South-West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss is also meeting Mr Penning, with West Suffolk MP Matthew Hancock after Easter to discuss the issue.

Mr Plant said the aim was to try to “chivvy” the government along, because he did not want to risk losing the scheme.

“We were just concerned that we hadn’t really heard anything since we had the minister down after the announcement,” he said. “It’s all ready to go and the funding is in place, and I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t start as soon as possible.”

Miss Truss said: “I believe the government is to make an announcement imminently once all the legal processes have been followed.

“I will be pressing the minister for full details of the construction timetable.”

A DfT spokesman said a decision would be made as soon as possible once the necessary statutory processes were completed.