Government confirms £91m for new homes access road

The road will give access to land that has been allocated for housing development

Funding for an access road to a major housing project has been secured from the government.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said on Tuesday it would allocate £91.1m towards the £109m West Winch Access Road in west Norfolk.

Linking the A10 south of King's Lynn to the A47 at North Runcton, it will unlock land for 4,000 new homes.

In a letter to Norfolk County Council (NCC) the DfT said: "This letter confirms that ministers have agreed to provide Norfolk County Council with the agreed level of funding... and thereby confirm OBC [outline business case] approval for the scheme."

The access road will connect the A10 and the A47 in west Norfolk

The outstanding £18m will be met by Norfolk County Council and developers, including housing associations who will recoup monies via house sales.

According to the letter, seen by the BBC, the DfT said North West Norfolk MP James Wild would be notified of the decision.

Developer Hopkins Homes has been given a final deadline to complete legal agreements to acquire land for the development of the first 1,100 homes on the site.

A spokesperson for Hopkins Homes said: "We remain fully committed to working with all parties to finalise the necessary agreements and ensure the project progresses."