Postwick Park and Ride site is earmarked for closure

Norfolk County Council has already earmarked the facility at Postwick as part of a huge raft of cuts, even though a trial to establish if it should stay open does not end until Easter.

The council is due to set its budget later this month, which includes £52m of cuts and savings.

And one of the proposals is to consider shutting the Postwick service to save £150,000, should passenger numbers remain too low for it to run without the council having to subsidise it.

Postwick Park and Ride (Image: Newsquest)

The council-owned, 552-parking place site shut during the Covid pandemic, when it was used as a test centre.

Other city park and ride sites reopened in June 2022, but the county council kept Postwick closed, except for a temporary opening that Christmas.

The contract for park and ride buses is to be retendered (Image: Antony Kelly)

In September last year, under pressure from 11 parish councils, it reopened on a trial basis, subsequently extended until this April.

Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport. Pic: Jamie Honeywood (Image: Norfolk County Council)

At the time Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, warned: "This really is a case of use it or lose it."

With passenger numbers at about 45pc of those pre-pandemic, the inclusion of Postwick in the budget list of cuts and savings could signal the end for a site which opened in 1998 at a cost of £2.3m.

Andrew Jamieson, Norfolk County Council deputy leader and cabinet member for finance (Image: Norfolk County Council)

Andrew Jamieson, the Conservative-controlled council's deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said the review would determine Postwick's future.

The council's budget also proposes saving £450,000 by retendering the entire park and ride contract, currently held by Konectbus.

Konectbus runs park and ride services around Norwich (Image: Steve Adams)

Mr Jamieson said: "Before Covid there was no subsidy at all for park and ride, it was self funding, but this year we have had to put in £600,000. That is not sustainable.

"Postwick is the one which has seen the most significant drop, but it's too early to say if it will definitely be closed.

"We are trying to think of ways to bring in extra income from park and ride sites, such as renting out some of the spaces, putting in electric vehicle charging or maybe even putting in cafes."

The budget will be set on Wednesday, February 21.