Representation by Bryan Robinson
- Date submitted
- 3 June 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
HE comments to Norfolk County Council on the NWL Scoping application stated that until such time as the A47 DCO is approved and delivery confirmed, the impact of and mitigation for the NWL should be considered with and without the A47 dualling. TR010038 should reciprocate with a base assessment without the NWL to establish environmental and climate changes from the existing situation as the core design with an alternative scenario reflecting the NWL. At present the environmental and climate figures are the extra over implications with the NWL but miss the impact of increased traffic due to the NWL above present traffic and emission levels. The submission does include a brief comparison without the NWL (DS1 map - fig 4.27 Doc 7.1) on which the numbers suggest that the Wood Lane junction is overdesigned, solely to accommodate the NWL and the creation of a dominant Norwich outer ring road. The design of all junctions is questionable, ranging from the known inadequacy of the existing Fox Lane, which HE deems acceptable, to the overdesign of both the Wood Lane and Norwich Road junctions when compared to design proposed in the concurrent TR010040 scheme. Reference is made to the controversial Food Enterprise Park near Easton. Its LDO approval in 2017 was largely dependent upon a future access from an upgraded A47. The existing Blind Lane is required to be closed, whatever happens to the A47. The TR010038 documents are ambiguous, stating that the site can be connected to the new side road (Dereham Road) but stating that there is no requirement for it to be accessed directly from the A47, given the approved alternative route along Church Lane, Easton. If the latter is true, there is no necessity for the dumbbell roundabout near Blind Lane/Taverham Road, and this should be initiated and paid-for, if made necessary, by others. Local traffic could access the new A47 via the Wood Lane or Longwater junctions. The requirement of access to Honingham church and the minor traffic using Taverham Road can be catered for with a small spur underpass off Dereham Road, and no need at all for a junction at Blind Lane/Norwich Road, with a much lower cost and land requirement. Other issues, amongst many more which I will raise at the earliest opportunity, are that the BCR calculations appear to contain errors; the agglomeration benefits specific to TR010038 lack evidence; and the climate change/carbon emissions calculation figures which do not establish changes from existing levels and are distorted by the predetermination of the NWL and do not include all the categories in the Carbon tool workbook 2.3 nor is there an inclusion for change of land use/biomass removal. There is an unrealistic assumption that the NWL calculations by others will include the impact of emissions for that scheme for A47 traffic which is excluded from this submission. Therefore, under the cumulative process this submission should reflect these impacts or they will disappear into the ether.