£4m Norwich Dereham Road revamp will see speed limit cut

The plans for Dereham Road, between Longwater Lane and Gurney Road, also include new bus lanes, wider pavements and new crossings.

The initial plans had proposed the closure of the Butterfly Way underpass, which runs beneath Dereham Road and connects Costessey to Bowthorpe.

The underpass at Butterfly Way (Image: Nicol Nicholls)

However, during public consultation, the proposal to fill in the subway was disliked by 63pc of people of which 55pc strongly disliked it.

Only 15pc liked it and Costessey Town Council was opposed to that element of the scheme.

So, Norfolk County Council revised the proposals to keep the underpass, alongside a new, fully accessible street-level crossing.

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

At a meeting of the Transport for Norwich Advisory committee on Thursday (January 26) the committee unanimously voted that Graham Plant, the committee chairman and council cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure should approve the scheme.

He said it was good that changes had been made in response to the views which had been expressed. He said: "When people are consulted they expect to be heard."

Labour Norwich city councillor Ian Stutely welcomed that officers had agreed to make changes to the plan, following the consultation.

But he highlighted how the proposed new 24-hour-a-day bus lanes had also been opposed, with people concerned they would add to congestion.

Despite more than 55pc of people not liking the bus lane proposal, they remain part of the scheme.

Mr Stutely asked if the bus lanes would be reviewed if there were issues once they were up and running. Officers confirmed they would be.

The plans will see the Dereham Road speed limit cut from 40mph to 30mph between Longwater Lane and Norwich Road.

The scheme is being paid for using a slice of the £32m Transforming Cities Fund, money which was awarded to the county council by the Department for Transport for a string of schemes in and around Norwich.