Plans to open part of a bus and cycle route to other traffic look set to get the go ahead.

West Norfolk council wants to build three new access roads to land earmarked for housing off Hardings Way in King's Lynn. It also wants to move a bus gate preventing other vehicles from using the road.

MORE - fears over Hardings Way plans

But there are fears the move could put children walking to Whitefriars School at risk from traffic.

And conservationists say the move would leave Hardings Pits nature reserve at risk from fly tippers.

A planning officer's report out today reveals West Norfolk councillors are being recommended to approve the plans when they meet to discuss them on Monday, despite the objections.

Opponents include the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) which says: 'This application appears to be the first step towards opening Hardings Way to all traffic and enabling further development. To do that would ruin the current ambiance and usage of this route, bringing safety concerns to those who use it as a route to school, work, shops and for recreation, in addition to issues of increased noise and air pollution.'

County councillor Alexandra Kemp has also put on record a list of obtections.

She says: 'This application is literally the wrong direction of travel for sustainable development in Lynn as it will lead to bottlenecks on Wisbech Road when traffic queues to turn right into Hardings Way.

'We will see the same bottlenecks in South Lynn that we had before the Saddlebow Road Bus gate stopped the rat run from the Hardwick

Interchange.'

Objections from residents include concerns over the safety of cyclists and pedestrians if lorries are allowed to use the southern end of Hardings Way.

But the council officer's report says the plan would not open the whole of Hardings Way to all traffic, as it only entails moving the bus gate 15m to provide access to parcels of development land.

'The bus gate would be retained and beyond it would remain a bus only route,' it says.

'As a result it is not considered that the proposal would result in any significant detrimental impact on highway safety or prejudice existing users of Hardings Way.'