Drivers have been warned roads will be shut for resurfacing work as a £2.5m revamp of part of Norwich city centre nears completion.

Work in the Tombland area of Norwich started in August last year and is due to finish next month.

But, from 6am on Sunday, March 14, Tombland and nearby Upper King Street will be shut while resurfacing is done. Queen Street will also remain closed.

The work is expected to be finished by midnight on Monday, March 15.

Norfolk County Council said pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to get through. But buses will need to be diverted.

The council will be providing 'gatemen' to advise people who live in the area how to get to their homes.

A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said: "As part of our ongoing improvement work in the Tombland area we will be resurfacing Queen Street and part of Tombland on Sunday, March 14.

"If bad weather causes these works to be postponed then we carry out the resurfacing the following Sunday with the same arrangements in place."

The council said work will be done "round the clock" to complete the works in the shortest amount of time possible and minimise the impact of the closure.

The spokesman said: "Some of the work will be noisy but every effort will be made to keep noise to a minimum and our contractor will ensure the noisiest work is completed by 11pm."

Eastern Daily Press: An artist's impression of the completed Tombland scheme.An artist's impression of the completed Tombland scheme. (Image: Transport for Norwich)

The work is part of a Transport for Norwich scheme which council officers say will better connect the railway station, Magdalen Street and Norwich Lanes.

They say it will mean quicker bus journeys, better access for pedestrians and cyclists and improve the overall look of the area.

But the scheme, funded with money from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund, has been criticised by the Norwich Cycling Campaign, who have said it will make matters worse for cyclists.

The work also sparked controversy due to the chopping down of a number of trees, which had prompted hundreds to sign a petition urging the council to rethink the plans.

Eastern Daily Press: There was opposition to the chopping down of trees as part of the scheme.There was opposition to the chopping down of trees as part of the scheme. (Image: Archant)