Christopher Fraser, MP for South West Norfolk, is putting pressure on the East of England Regional Assembly to prioritise the upgrade of the A11 between Thetford and Fiveways Corner. In an open letter to the Chairman of the East of England Regional Transport Forum, he has set out the case for dualling of the road and urged members of the Forum to support it at their meeting on Friday 13 June. Friday’s Forum is the first of two key meetings at which EERA’s decisions on regional priorities will be decided.
Christopher Fraser said: “This has been unfinished business for far too long. The earliest-possible completion of the dualling of the last stretch of the A11 is vital for the economy of Thetford, particularly as the town has been awarded Growth Point Status, and for Norfolk as a whole.
“Key hurdles have been overcome – the former Minister of Transport, Dr Stephen Ladyman MP, accepted that I was “passionate about the issue”, and last June during a meeting that I had with him, he authorised the Highways Agency to press ahead with the necessary statutory processes so that the scheme will be “oven-ready” for construction to start in 2010. EEDA has commissioned an authoritative report, demonstrating the economic case for the upgrade. Richard Ellis, EEDA’s Chairman, confirmed at our May meeting that EEDA fully supports prioritisation of the project.
“The Secretary of State for Transport, Ruth Kelly MP, has told me that if the project is prioritised by the region, and if the region believes it to be affordable, she will look favourably on the scheme. I have long maintained that the upgrade is of national importance and that dualling would pay dividends in terms of Norfolk’s contribution to the national economy.
“I now look to the regional transport forum and to EERA’s regional planning panel to give its support to the scheme, as the last link in the chain. I have written to EERA to put the case. The Government would then have to come up with funding, but I cannot believe that they would allow Norfolk to remain the only county in England without a dual carriageway link to the national trunk-road system.
“The Gateway A11 East campaign, based in Thetford, has done a sterling job in bringing together the business community to make the case for the dualling work. I will be meeting representatives on Friday 13 June to brief them on the situation, and agree how to move forward at this crucially important time.”
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