Comment

Representation ID: 22248

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Suffolk County Council

With the proposed construction of roundabouts on the A140 and the level of growth anticipated in the GNLP, there is the opportunity for enabling improved connections and journey times for bus services to Diss Railway Station across the county boundary. Doing so would provide better access to the train station and encourage the use of public transport, which aligns with the need to reduce carbon emissions and promote modal shift.

SCC is able to provide transport data to inform the future traffic modelling work to support the evidence-base of the Greater Norwich Local Plan. There are cross-border linkages that will need to be considered, as will the resultant additional journeys from this part of Norfolk into Suffolk and vice versa. The County Council is available to assist with such evidence during the next stages of the production of the plan, including the site allocations and clusters for South Norfolk. The key strategic road links are likely to be A140, A143, A146 and B1077. Other routes may be impacted by localised impacts, and this will need to be assessed through the modelling to inform the next stages of the plan making process. Improvements to the A140, specifically around Long Stratton, may reduce longer distance travel times between north Suffolk and the Norwich area, increasing people’s propensity to commute longer distances, and increasing cross-border traffic flows and stress at key strategic junctions.

Where there is development and final destinations are in Suffolk, consideration of passenger transport infrastructure could be funded for by the Greater Norwich Infrastructure Levy connected to development.

SCC is happy to work cross-border to make sure we get the best value for money and more useful passenger transport routes. The nature of the borderlands means Suffolk residents have tendency to travel to Thetford, Diss and Harleston whilst Norfolk residents would travel to Bungay, Beccles, Eye and Brandon and other similar settlements.