Major projects which could change the face of the county are being planned across Norfolk. GEORGE THOMPSON looks at the nine biggest developments in the pipeline this year
RAILWAY VILLAGE
Plans to build a new 5,000-home town north of Dereham could take a significant step forward in 2023.
The proposals have been dubbed a ‘railway village’ and would lie close to the Mid Norfolk Railway at North Elmham.
The 1,278-acre site has been put forward by its owners as a potential area for development included in Breckland Council's forthcoming local plan - a document detailing how the district should grow over the next two decades.
The submission is not a formal planning application.
If a planning application is submitted, approved, and the houses are built, the resulting settlement would likely have a larger population than existing towns like Watton (population 8,417), Fakenham (8,285) and Cromer (7,949).
Breckland’s eight-week consultation on the local plan is taking place in the first few months of this year.
WASH BARRAGE
A bid to build a tidal barrage stretching from Norfolk to Lincolnshire was unveiled at the end of last year.
While the scheme has seen objections from conservation groups, proponents say it would help protect the Fens from flooding, generate tidal power and would allow a new deep-sea container port to be built.
A planning application has yet to be submitted for the scheme, which Centre Port, the group behind the proposal, said could be operational by the end of the decade if given the go-ahead.
Centre Port is now trying to raise £5m for a feasibility study.
NEW RESERVOIR
Another major project in the pipeline with implications for the county is a new reservoir on the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire border.
It would be capable of supplying around 100 million litres of water per day throughout the year.
It will work by storing excess water in the winter for use in dry summers and mean less extraction from sensitive sources like chalk streams.
The proposed site is between Chatteris and March in Cambridgeshire but will help supply homes in Norfolk.
The feedback from an initial consultation will be published in the spring.
LONG STRATTON BYPASS
The Long Stratton Bypass has been mooted for decades and finally looked like it was going to get underway after funding was approved in 2021.
The scheme will mean motorists can avoid passing through the centre of the town.
However, the £46.2m scheme is linked to the construction of 1,800 new homes in the area, which have been held up due to the issues surrounding nutrient neutrality.
The measure is meant to ensure that excess nutrients do not flow into waterways around the Broads and the River Wensum and has stopped homes from being built in large parts of Norfolk until mitigation measures have been agreed.
Now those measures are finally moving forward, the scheme can move ahead.
Archaeologists also carried out surveys of the route in November 2022.
WESTERN LINK
The flagship infrastructure project has been thrown into doubt after County Hall announced an indefinite delay earlier this month.
The 3.9-mile road is designed to link the A47 with the NDR to the west of the city and has been hailed as a council priority for several years.
But County Hall’s cabinet paused plans to lodge a planning application for the road amid mounting concerns over the government's willingness to bankroll the project.
A business case was submitted two years ago this summer and so far, the government has not indicated it will approve funding the scheme.
The authority has not said when the decision will be made, but insists it remains committed to the project.
Three road improvement schemes on the A47 are also due to get moving this year but a High Court challenge could hamper their progress.
The plans involve the revamp of Thickthorn roundabout on the edge of Norwich and the dualling of stretches of road between Blofield and North Burlingham, plus Easton to North Tuddenham.
The court has agreed to consider claims by climate campaigners that the impact of carbon emissions that would result from the schemes had not been properly addressed.
WINDFARMS
There are a series of major windfarms planned for the Norfolk coast.
These include Swedish energy giant Vattenfall’s Boreas and Vanguard projects, which could be some of the largest in the world.
The company was granted development consent for its Norfolk Vanguard windfarm in 2022, pledging to get underway early this year.
The two schemes could power more than 3.9m homes in the UK.
Hornsea Three, another major scheme which could power another 3.2m homes, is set to start being built in March.
NEW RAIL JUNCTIONS
A key rail junction, which could help to boost growth across the region, could steam ahead this year.
Ely Junction is important because it links five lines connecting Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough and King’s Lynn.
It is currently operating at full capacity, which limits the opportunity for growth of routes for passenger and cross-country freight services.
It would also enable more frequent passenger services, including between King's Lynn and London.
An outline business case was submitted to the Department for Transport last year to seek money for the next stage of the design process - but the government has yet to make a decision.
HOSPITALS REBUILD
Time is running out for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), in King's Lynn, which experts say will be unsafe to use by 2030.
The QEH, whose roof is held up by more than 3,000 props, is still waiting to hear whether it will be given a go-ahead for a rebuild on what is currently its car park.
The roof of the 500-bed hospital was built with an expected working life of 30 years in the late 1970s.
NHS sources and politicians have suggested a decision on whether the government will pay for a rebuild is expected early this year.
James Paget Hospital in Gorleston was one of 40 new hospitals the government approved in 2020.
A new £15m concept care ward is currently being built at the north end of the grounds, providing a blueprint for how inpatients could receive care when the rebuild is complete.
The new ward is set to be operational in May.
FIRST ELECTED LEADER
Norfolk's proposed devolution deal will introduce an elected leader, effectively a mayor in all but name.
The policy will bring major changes to the way the council is run, with Norfolk receiving £600m of funding over the next 30 years, while powers will be transferred from Whitehall to a directly-elected leader of Norfolk County Council.
A six-week public consultation is currently being carried out and if the deal is agreed the first election for a directly-elected council leader would be in May 2024.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here