Bats spell route change for planned Norwich Western Link road

Bats have been found in woodlands covering part of the proposed £198m Norwich Western Link through the Wensum Valley

The proposed route of a controversial new road will have to be altered due to the discovery of bats in the area.

Norfolk County Council said it would have to change the proposed route of the Norwich Western Link.

The 3.9-mile (6.2km) road could connect the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) to the A47 west of Norwich.

However, it has been beset by problems in the last year, from rising costs to consultation delays, while a survey has found "notable bat activity" in a wood.

It is not known how the proposed route will be altered by the discovery of bats in woodland

The county council said its £198m project would tackle rat-running and help cut vehicles' overall carbon emissions, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But Martin Wilby, council cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, wrote to a local resident and said: "A survey has identified notable bat activity in the woodlands in the area at the northern end of the proposed route, which we need to take into account in our design.

"As a result, we're currently carrying out work to develop mitigation and refine the alignment to minimise the impact of the scheme on that area."

Last weekend, 300 people joined a protest against the road planned for the Wensum Valley, with opponents including Stephen Fry and Chris Packham.

David Pett, from Stop the Wensum Link group, criticised the time and money spent investigating routes.

"It is shocking and equally concerning to now hear an intention to realign the route," he said.

"If, as it seems, there is to be a significant shift in the path then the council needs to come clean and publish details of the new route."

Mr Pett said the council's management was "muddled and inept" and it was unclear how the change would impact the outline business case.

The Norwich Western Link would extend the Broadland Northway by three miles, by joining the A1067 Fakenham Road to the A47

Mr Wilby insisted alterations were normal for large-scale infrastructure projects.

"Assessment and initial design work related to refining the alignment of the route and developing appropriate mitigation is under way," he said.

"We'll provide a further update on this work in a report to our cabinet in March."

A petition supporting it has received more than 4,000 signatures, while one against has received almost 7,000.