West Winch Housing Access Road scheme takes major step forward as Homes England agrees to provide £18.39million
A significant milestone in plans for a major new road expected to bring “relief” to the A10 has been reached, as £18.39m of funding has been greenlit.
It comes after an agreement to provide the Brownfield Infrastructure Land funding from Homes England was signed, which will allow the West Winch Housing Access Road project to move forward.
It will also unlock up to 4,000 homes as well as a range of community facilities and commercial space.
“The importance of this news to the scheme cannot be overstated,” said Oliver Judges, West Norfolk Council’s executive director for place.
“The West Winch Housing Access Road is an essential part of the planned housing growth in the area. This agreement with Homes England ensures that a vital piece of its infrastructure can progress.
“The development in West Winch is the biggest housing scheme in West Norfolk – it is a project of regional significance that will eventually see thousands of new homes and opportunities for this borough and beyond.
“Officers from Norfolk County Council and the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk have done an extremely valuable piece of work, working closely together to get to this point and we would not have achieved this without their focus and determination.”
Meanwhile, David Allfrey, interim director of highways, transport and waste at Norfolk County Council, said that the authority is committed to delivering the housing access road “as soon as possible.”
“It supports the expected housing and economic development in the area, as well as addressing the persistent traffic problems on the A10,” he added.
“This funding is a major piece of the puzzle and will help us to continue moving this project forward.”
The majority of the cost for the West Winch Housing Access Road is expected to come from central government through the Department for Transport’s Major Road Network (MRN) fund.
Norfolk County Council submitted its latest business case to the Department for Transport towards the end of 2023 which includes a request for the majority of the projected £84m cost.
The Department for Transport funding requires a minimum 15% local contribution towards the scheme cost - with most of this coming from developer contributions, although it is not available in advance.
Homes England has stepped into a forward-funding position through the provision of a recoverable grant.
Pauline Schaffer, director of infrastructure funding at Homes England, said: “We are delighted to award Norfolk County Council £18.39m of Brownfield Infrastructure Land funding.
“We are committed to working with local authority partners to help them meet their housing needs by supporting the delivery of new infrastructure.
“Both Norfolk County Council and the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk have worked collaboratively to progress the funding for this vital infrastructure that will help to support the two councils’ long-term vision for growth in King’s Lynn by unlocking 4,000 new homes.”
This provision of Homes England funding was approved in October 2023 and it was made official on March 25 when the Grant Funding Agreement was legally completed.
“All parties are now committed to the successful delivery of the much-needed infrastructure to facilitate the growth of housing in King’s Lynn,” a borough council spokesperson said.
The planning application for the West Winch Housing Access Road was submitted at the end of 2023.
The statutory consultation period runs until April 21 and the target determination date is July 8.
“All parties eagerly await a decision from Department for Transport in respect of the MRN funding to provide certainty for the next phase of this exciting project,” the spokesperson added.
