A fresh wave of consultation over a new £109.2m road, seen as crucial for the building of 4,000 new homes in the Norfolk countyside, has begun.

The public has another chance to have its say on Norfolk County Council's plans for the West Winch Access Road, close to King's Lynn, after council officers published further details about the scheme.

Plans for the road, which would link the A10 and A47, to serve 4,000 homes due to be built in the West Winch area, were lodged in January.

But, as part of the planning process, Conservative-controlled County Hall's proposals prompted concerns from Historic England, the Forestry Commission and the council's own flood officers.

The council has now submitted further details about those issues - sparking 30 days of further consultation.

A graphic showing the proposed route of the West Winch Access RoadA graphic showing the proposed route of the West Winch Access Road (Image: West Norfolk council)

Nick Johnson, head of planning at Norfolk County Council said: “Following the feedback received from the initial consultation, a second round of public consultation is under way, relating to additional environmental information requested from the applicant.

"The additional environmental information received relates to archaeology and heritage assets, population and human health, with further information submitted and clarification regarding flood risk, highways and traffic data, along with updated ecology reports and a series of visualisations showing the route of the proposed road.

"Once the consultation period has ended, the planning service will scrutinise the information received, which will dictate whether a further round of consultation is required or that there is sufficient information received to prepare a committee report with a recommendation.

"The earliest date the application could be presented to the planning committee is November 22."

Independent county councillor Alexandra KempIndependent county councillor Alexandra Kemp (Image: Ian Burt)

Alexandra Kemp, independent county councillor for Clenchwarton and King's Lynn South - a division which includes West Winch - said it was "absolutely critical" the road is built before the new homes are constructed.

There was controversy in August, when the first 1,100 of the new homes were given permission by West Norfolk Council, with the road's future still unclear.

The county council is still waiting to hear how much the government will contribute towards the road's bill.

The planning application can be viewed at eplanning.norfolk.gov.uk/Planning/Display/FUL/2024/0001 where people can also submit comments.