NEWS

A11: Shaping Norfolk's Future partners spearhead campaign

A powerful lobby spearheaded by Norfolk and Suffolk is tantalisingly close to getting the all clear for a 2010 start to complete the dualling of the A11. As politicians and businesses unite to try and get the go-ahead, public affairs correspondent Shaun Lowthorpe looks at the twists and turns of a transport campaign spanning nearly three decades.

The rush hour bottleneck at Elvedon in Suffolk, when traffic on the A11 is concertinaed into a slow-moving tailback, is an all too familiar experience.

It is a nine-mile stretch of road, between Fiveways and Thetford, which is all that stands between a fully dualled link from London to Norwich - the largest city not to have a motorway stretching to the capital.

But are we at last close to the endgame of securing the goal 37 years after Edward Heath's government fist mooted the idea?

It is a decision that rests in the hands of 31 people, the members of the regional planning panel, when it meets in Cambridge on July 8.

Part of the East of England regional assembly, the panel comprises of councillors from across the six counties as well as stakeholders from a selection of community and voluntary groups.

On July 8 they will be urged to recommend to ministers the brining forward of the start date for completion of the scheme to 2010.

Yesterday politicians and business leaders met in Norwich to put on a united front to make the case ahead of the pivotal meeting.

Norfolk and Suffolk County council leaders Daniel Cox and Jeremy Pembroke have written a joint letter to each panel member stating the case - and they want us to contact them to make our views known, too.

“For too long Norfolk has been stuck in the slow lane,” Mr Cox said. “We now believe we have got the opportunity to give it the final push to get it over the final hurdle.

“If we clear the hurdle on July 8, it will allow our efforts to enter a new phase, but it's essential we secure support at a regional level to signal to the government how seriously this is viewed by us.

“Dualling the final stretch of the A11 is long overdue and I am determined that our voices are heard at the highest levels of government. By acting in conjunction without colleagues in Suffolk and with the widespread support of our business community we can send out a strong message - we mean business.”

Transport secretary Ruth Kelly has already hinted that if the region can show a united front and put the A11 dualling at the top of the list, then the government will look sympathetically at agreeing a 2010/11 start date.

Mike Jackson, Norfolk's director of transportation, said there were only two schemes which could be brought forward, the A11 and the Dunstable northern bypass or M1-A5 link road.

And while the costs for the latter have shot up, the A11 scheme is still hovering around the £100m mark.

“We have got a window of opportunity to bring forward the dualling of the A11,” he said. “Some schemes have slipped back, and unlike some of the others the A11 can well be brought forward.

“We have since learnt that rather than coming forward, the M1-A5 link road has slipped back because it's closely linked with the M1 widening.

“Our bigger challenge is not that there is a competitor but that some people will argue we shouldn't make this decision at this stage. If we go along with that it will never start,” he added.

Earlier this year the East of England Development Agency (Eeda) produced a detailed report arguing that dualling would benefit the region's economy to the tune of £600m.

And Shaping Norfolk's Future, the county's economic development partnership and Norfolk Chamber of Commerce are also sending a joint letter on behalf of the county's business community signed by up to 25 leading bosses, including Norwich Union, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and the regional director of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry).

They have also written to the heads of both the regional assembly and Eeda.

Mike Burrows, deputy chairman of Shaping Norfolk's Future, said there had been cases of firms not prepared to come to Norfolk because of transport issues.

“It really does have a great impact in attracting people, keeping people, and keeping us competitive,” he said. “When you talk to people who are making investment decisions, they always say that Norfolk is a long way away, but when you look at the maps we are lot closer than some parts of the country. But the road gives the impression it's a long way. That perception is part of the problem.”

Caroline Williams, chief executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said the efficient transport of people and goods are vital for the growth of the Norfolk economy.

“Norfolk sometimes doesn't work as well collectively as it could, but I think the public and private sector are 100pc agreed that he A11 is our top priority,” she said. “Unreliable journey times continue to damage Norfolk's image and its ability to develop to its full potential as a vibrant business centre.

“We have got 37,000 new homes going to be built in Norwich and 6,000 in Thetford. To be able to get the jobs they need and employ the right people.

“The dualling of the A11 will benefit not only Norfolk and Suffolk but the entire region, we have all waited long enough and we need action now. It needs to happen for the economy.”