New delay in finding alternatives to link road plan

The planned Western Link road would have been a 3.9-mile (6.3km) dual carriageway

Plans for alternatives to a failed road project which has already cost £56m will take longer to draw up, a council has admitted.

Earlier this year, Norfolk County Council withdrew its plans for the controversial Norwich Western Link road because of concerns about its impact on rare bats.

The Conservative-run authority later said it was expecting almost £1m from the government to investigate other options, but said it had yet to receive the money.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said its review of the road project would conclude by the end of the year.

"We haven't been able to progress the options assessment work as quickly as we had originally hoped," said Graham Plant, the councillor responsible for transport.

Graham Plant said the council had been asking "local community representatives" for ideas on what could be done

Before it dropped its plans for the 3.9-mile (6.2km) link road, the council had already spent £56m on the project – with £33m coming from the government.

It was due to connect the Northern Distributor Road to the A47 west of the city, with the aim of easing congestion and reduce rat-running through villages.

But earlier this year, the authority withdrew its application as it was unlikely to be awarded the bat licence it needed to begin construction.

Government advisers Natural England had objected to the plan warning the road would "destroy" the population of "incredibly rare" Barbastelle bats, which are protected by environmental law.

In June, the council said it planned to spend £1.43m on looking at alternative options – with the bulk of the funding coming from the government.

However, Plant said the funding had been held up because the DfT was "currently carrying out a review of projects" and the council was not carrying out its work "as quickly as we had originally hoped".

"Until this funding is confirmed however, we are ensuring that we work within the County Council's agreed contribution of £470,000 towards the options assessment work," he added.

Labour's Steve Morphew said the handling of the road project had been a "fiasco"

Steve Morphew, leader of the council's Labour group, accused the council of "wasting" more money – as "nothing meaningful will happen" until a mayor is elected next year.

As part of devolution and local government reorganisation, the county council will be scrapped while an elected mayor will have responsibility for transport.

"They should be doubling down on mitigating rat running in the west of Norwich with whatever quick and affordable measures are available with any money they have left," Morphew said.

A DfT spokesperson said: "We are determined to build the transport infrastructure we need to drive economic growth and opportunity in every part of the country.

"As part of the Spending Review, the Chancellor announced more than £24bn over the next four years to improve and maintain roads across the country, delivering real improvements to people's everyday travel.

"In July, we announced a review of the Norwich Western Link. This review will conclude by the end of the year, and decisions on future funding for this will follow."