A47 North Tuddenham to Easton improvement

Latest updates

• 23 June 2021

  Planning Inspectorate acceptance of scheme submission

  We are pleased to announce that our Development Consent Order Application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in March 2021 and was accepted in April 2021, allowing us to progress through to examination. The process is explained on the Planning Inspectorate's website.

  The Section 56 Notice notifies the public that the A47 North Tuddenham to Easton Development Consent Order application has been accepted for examination. View the Section 56 Notice.

  Members of the public were able to register to participate in the examination and provide a response to our application during the Relevant Representation period, which closed on Thursday 17 June 2021 at 23:59.

  Details of next steps for this scheme are available on the A47 North Tuddenham to Easton Planning Inspectorate’s web page.

   

• 10 June 2021

  Ground investigations and surveys

  We’re continuing with some important surveys and ground investigations work in the area. These started in March and will carry on until October 2021. They will give us a clearer picture of the condition of the existing road, as well as types of soils, rock types and the ground water levels where we are proposing to upgrade the road.
  
  

  This work will help us start to plan the work safely and economically, ahead of the next stage in the project. However, this is not the start of construction.
  
  

  You can expect to see survey vehicles and equipment in operation close to Tuddenham, although some of the surveys will take place on private property such as farms and surrounding land.
  
  

  Types of surveys we’ll be carrying out:

  • Topographical surveys which are aerial surveys to understand the existing levels of the area.
  • Utility trial holes to identify the precise location of existing services and utilities.
  • Ground investigations to understand the existing environment and subsoil elements, in order to ensure the chosen design is a workable solution.
  • Road surveys which are a series of tests on the existing road to determine condition, depth and materials.
  • Surveys to understand the condition of existing bridges.

  Where survey work is due to take place next to residential properties, we will write to those residents in advance and let them know what is happening and when. We have advised landowners where we need access to their land. Some of the surveys will take place on the road, so we will need to make some lane closures to ensure our workforce is safe during the work.

  You can read more about surveys in our leaflet.

  Lane and road closures during the surveys 

  Survey work will mainly take place on during the dates shown in the table below. 

  Location	What you’ll see	Date	Time
  A47 Tuddenham to Easton – dual carriageway sections	One lane closed	Tuesday 1 June to Friday 9 July 2021 (except Saturday and Sunday nights)	8pm to 6am
  A47 Tuddenham to Easton – single lane sections	Traffic lights	Tuesday 1 June to Friday 9 July 2021 (except Saturday and Sunday nights)	8pm to 6am

  Follow our regional Twitter and Facebook accounts at @HighwaysEAST for the latest updates.

• 19 April 2021

  Plans to dual A47 between North Tuddenham and Easton move a step closer

  Plans for a new dual carriageway and junction improvements moved a step closer after Highways England’s proposals were formally accepted by the Planning Inspectorate for examination last Monday (12 April).

  Highways England is improving the A47 in six places between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth as part of a £300 million-plus investment, including the Norfolk section between North Tuddenham and Easton.

  The Planning Inspectorate will now start the process of a full examination of Highways England’s proposals before deciding whether to grant a Development Consent Order, which will help to inform the Secretary of State for Transport when deciding whether to give the green light for construction to begin two years hence.

  Highways England programme lead for the A47, Chris Griffin, said: “This stretch of road connects areas of growing economic activity around Norwich. The current layout of the road can act as a bottleneck, resulting in congestion and slower journey times. Our improvements will make shorten journeys while improving safety for the thousands of drivers who use this stretch of road daily, while also maintain connectivity and improving access for local residents.

  “The decision to accept our DCO application represents a major milestone for the scheme, not only for us as the project team but for all those who have supported this project over a number of years.”

  

  The preferred option for upgrading this stretch was announced in August 2017, and a statutory consultation was held last year that had nearly 700 responses. That feedback found that almost three quarters of people felt that road improvements were needed on this stretch of road, and that Highways England’s proposals would help reduce congestion and shorten journey times.

  Feedback received during a consultation in Spring 2020 refined the scheme design, which now includes an added underpass for traffic and pedestrians at Mattishall Lane, replacing the Church Lane underpass and link road.

  Changes to the Wood Lane southern junction into Dereham now reuses more of the existing A47, while the new River Tud Bridge has been altered based on feedback from the Environment Agency. A walking and cycling link was added from Honingham to St Andrew’s Church via an A47 underpass, while the Norwich Road junction was moved east to reduce the impact on the church, while maintaining farm access.

  The northern roundabout at the Norwich Road junction was changed removing the link to Church Lane, and a new walking and cycling route added between Easton and Lower Easton, replacing the existing one which crosses the A47. New embankments will reduce traffic noise, and an extra wetland drainage zone will provide a welcome boost for the environment by increasing biodiversity.

  Councillor Martin Wilby, Chairman of the A47 Alliance and Cabinet member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport at Norfolk County Council, said: “The A47 is crucial for the economic prosperity of Norfolk, connecting Norwich to Peterborough in the west and Great Yarmouth in the east. Thousands of our residents use the A47 for commuting, for seeing family, for trading, for holidaying, and far more.

  “This package of improvements that Highways England will deliver along the A47 will thus be of huge benefit to not just Norfolk, but to the whole region, making journeys shorter and safer for our residents.”

  The Planning Inspectorate’s examination process will provide people with the opportunity to comment on the proposals in writing as well as the chance to participate in hearings. Following the examination, the Planning Inspectorate will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport, who will decide whether the project can move forward with construction. If the application is approved, work on building the road is due to start in March 2023.

  More information about the Development Consent Order process can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website at www.infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/  

• 13 April 2021

  Update – April 2021

  This scheme is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), which means it’s classed as a large, complex infrastructure project that benefits the entire country.

  To build the scheme, we need to seek permission through a special planning process and gain a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Planning Inspectorate.

  We submitted our DCO application in March 2021. Our application was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate on 12 April, allowing us to progress through to examination. The next steps in the process can be found on the Planning Inspectorate's website.

  The application can be viewed here. You will soon be able to register to be involved in the examination process as an Interested Party. We'll update this webpage as soon as we have a confirmed date. 

  Details about how to have your say can be found in this video by the Planning Inspectorate. You can also read more about the DCO process in this booklet.

• 18 March 2021

  Update - March 2021

  The statutory consultation on our proposal to upgrade the A47 North Tuddenham to Easton closed at the end of April 2020. You can still read the consultation brochure and additional supporting material in the Documents area below.

  We have been reviewing and considering the responses from the consultation and where appropriate, used the feedback to refine our proposed design. To keep you informed on the progress we’ve made since April, we have issued a project update for Winter 2020.

  We are still continuing conversations with key stakeholders as well as carrying out ground investigation and environmental surveys, which may feed into further design changes as our Development Consent Order application is processed. 

  The application includes a consultation report which features a summary of responses and describes which suggestions we were able to incorporate. This demonstrates how we have listened to feedback.

  Our Development Consent Order application has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate and is available to view the Planning Inspectorate website.

• 27 May 2020

  Consultation now closed

  We consulted on proposals to make the A47 between North Tuddenham and Easton a dual carriageway and create two new junctions.

  Our plans for the scheme have progressed since we announced our preferred route, following consultation with the public in August 2017. Route option 2 was selected, and amended, to address some of the key concerns raised by members of the public. This takes the proposed route away from the existing carriageway to the south of Hockering and to the north of Honingham before rejoining the existing A47 at Easton.

  We held a statutory consultation on our proposals, and this ran from 26th February until 30 April 2020. You can still read the consultation brochure and additional supporting material in the in the Documents area below.

  Now that the consultation has closed, we are reviewing all the feedback and producing a consultation report.

  We will then continue to develop the design and continue to engage with the community as our plans develop.

  We will also carry out further survey work, including ground investigations and environmental surveys.