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Village oil spill revives call for new road

Owen SennittNorfolk
Andrew Turner/BBC Villagers in Coltishall on a demonstration. Two men hold placards, with others in the background. The placards read: "This road is not safe"; another reads: "Too much traffic"; and another says: "Infrastructure first". Andrew Turner/BBC
Villagers in Coltishall pictured protesting about the traffic issues last year

An oil spill that forced the closure of a key route through a Norfolk village has sparked renewed calls for a new road to solve long-running traffic woes.

For nearly a fortnight, the B1150 Station Road in Coltishall has been shut due to work to clear up the spill.

Villagers said the closure caused a huge amount of disruption and forced traffic on to smaller residential roads, adding to existing issues. Campaigners are demanding a solution is found ahead of thousands of planned homes being built in North Walsham.

Bill Musson, who has lived in the village for 30 years, said the situation is "unsustainable".

Bill Musson A 'Road Ahead Closed' sign is on a road in Coltishall, with a car driving away behind the sign. There is a house and driveways in the background.Bill Musson
Road closures were in force for nearly a fortnight due to an oil spill

He told BBC Radio Norfolk: "We have an 18th century high street trying to cope with 21st century traffic volumes. The situation is unsustainable and dangerous."

The B1150 is a key route for drivers travelling between Norwich and North Walsham but when vehicles reach Coltishall, they have to navigate a narrow bridge and sharp bends.

Villagers have complained drivers regularly have to go on to pavements to allow other vehicles past, with lorries a particular problem.

Andrew Turner/BBC Bill Musson is standing near a group of protestors, with placards, reading: "Too much traffic = danger"; and: "This road is not safe", with others in the distance. He is wearing a blue, white and red checked shirt, a black jacket with red inside lining and a yellow hi-vis vest. He has a grey moustache, wears black-rimmed glasses and is wearing a tweed flat cap.Andrew Turner/BBC
Campaigner Bill Musson said the road would become gridlocked if more development was allowed in north Norfolk

Jo Copplestone, a Conservative councillor for Coltishall said: "This is a B-road that serves the largest town in north Norfolk by far, North Walsham, which is due to grow by another 40% if planned housing is built."

She suggested building a relief road using parts of a former runway at RAF Coltishall to the west.

Andrew Turner/BBC A yellow bus, branded the X55, and a yellow and red skip lorry face each other on the B1150 in Coltishall. There are parked cars on either side of the road, and a pavement build-out into the road to make for a pedestrian crossing point.Andrew Turner/BBC
Large vehicles often use the narrow road

But any new road would cost millions of pounds and potentially take years to develop.

Attempts to build another relief road, known as the Norwich Western Link, dragged on for more than 20 years, reaching an estimated cost of £274m.

However, it still hasn't been built after plans were rejected due to wildlife concerns.

Norfolk County Council has been approached for comment.

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