Plea as bat rules may screech road plan to a stop

The leader of Norfolk County Council has asked the government to intervene over rules on bats, which could prevent plans for a new road.

Earlier this year, Natural England changed rules protecting rare Barbastelle bats, which live on the route of the proposed £274m Norwich Western Link (NWL).

The decision meant the council would be highly unlikely to receive the licence needed to build the road.

The Conservative leader of the council, Kay Mason-Billig, said she had written to the government to help resolve an "impossible position". Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Radio Norfolk the decision on funding the road would be next year.

Graham Plant, the council's cabinet member for highways, said an "impasse" had been reached and he was waiting to see how the government would respond.

"We want to deliver the scheme, that's what we want to do," he added.

The 3.9-mile (6.3km) road would connect the Northern Distributor Road, also known as Broadland Northway, with the A47 at Easton, to the west of Norwich.

The previous Conservative government promised £213m towards it.

However, Labour is currently reviewing all spending commitments and has already cancelled the £50m Vauxhall Roundabout upgrade planned for Great Yarmouth.

A decision is expected to be announced in the government's spending review planned for the spring.

Mason-Billig's letter asked the government if it would still provide funding for a "potential alternative" project - or compensation - if the NWL got cancelled.

Members of Norfolk County Council's cabinet are due to discuss the future of the road later this month.

A report said the cost of work so far would reach £56m by April.

It recommended that until an announcement on funding was made, the council should reduce spending "by reducing or pausing activity on the project".

The council's Liberal Democrat group leader, Brian Watkins, said the Conservatives' "lack of foresight and contingency planning has left the taxpayer with a hefty price to pick up".

Labour's Steve Morphew said a "plan B" should have been in place in case the NWL could not be built.

"They've dug themselves a blooming great hole. They've shown themselves not to be particularly competent in how they've handled it."

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