New £13.5m road which could unlock 4,000 houses edges closer

Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for highways and infrastructure. Picture: Norfolk Conservatives. (Image: Norfolk Conservatives)

Plans to build a new town between West Winch and the Hardwick roundabout have been in the pipeline for many years now, however, they have hinged on a new access road being built.

The road would provide a bypass route to the A10 through West Winch, aiming to limit the impact of the new homes on existing roads in the area.

Next week, this key piece of road could take a step closer to becoming a reality, as Norfolk County Council's cabinet poised to agree to aspects of its funding.

The road is likely to cost in the region of £13.5m in total, which the county council is hoping will be funded by the Department for Transport (DfT).

However, on Monday the cabinet is being asked to agree to initially pledge £1.1m towards getting the project off the ground - funds which would be reimbursed through DfT grants.

If this is agreed, it would also see the county council bidding for the same amount to be taken from the county's business rates pool.

Martin Wilby, cabinet member for transport, said: "It is essential that the access road is built as there is going to be significant development in the area and there is a need for infrastructure to be in place for this to happen.

"The West Winch Housing Access Road will provide a great deal of benefits to the local area and would be an important piece of infrastructure.

"This is all about investing in the future."

In July, the new road became one of four major road projects put forward for government funding by the council.

It would provide a single carriageway road which would form part of the A10 immediately to the south of King's Lynn, linking to the A47 via a new roundabout.

However, the council faces a race against time to submit its bid for business rates funding, with a deadline of Friday, September 13 looming.

The cabinet meets on Monday.