Norfolk County Council's contribution to the Norwich Western Link options assessment has grown to £1m after the total budget for the study rose by £900,000 to £2.6m.

The Department for Transport has agreed to cover two-thirds of the budget increase — £600,000 — leaving the council to fund the remaining £300,000. That raises the council's local share from £700,000, approved by Cabinet in July 2025, to £1m in total.

The study will consider a wide range of transport options for the western side of Norwich, including doing nothing, minor road improvements, public transport and active travel proposals, improvements to the existing B-road from Wood Lane to Lenwade, and possible new single or dual carriageway routes. All road-based options will also look at complementary public transport and cycling measures.

Cabinet approved the £900,000 budget uplift at its meeting on 11 September 2026, with the figures confirmed in the council's quarterly finance monitoring report.

The project team is aiming to reduce the options under consideration to a shortlist by early 2027, after which there will be a public consultation. The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr Tom Dickerson, confirmed the scope of options being assessed remains unchanged from the July 2025 Cabinet report.

A local councillor, Cllr Jan Davis, raised concerns at the meeting about whether all transport modes and environmental impacts would be properly considered. The Cabinet Member confirmed that environmental and ecological impacts, as well as DfT business case criteria, would all form part of the assessment.