Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers
Why the improvement is necessary
Why the Improvement Is Necessary
The A11 trunk road runs between Norwich and Junction 9 of the M11 in Cambridgeshire. It forms part of the Core National Route linking London, Cambridge and the northern part of East Anglia.
The 14 kilometre section of the A11 between Fiveways roundabout and the Thetford Bypass is a substandard single carriageway road which includes four junctions. It passes largely through agricultural land and woodland except at the village of Elveden, which is also the location of a Center Parcs holiday village. Apart from a recently introduced 40mph speed limit through Elveden, this section of the A11 is derestricted. The current traffic flows are around 20,000 vehicles a day. Congestion problems occur, particularly during holiday periods. There is a conflict between fast moving trunk road through traffic and slow moving agricultural vehicles. Overtaking opportunities are limited which leads to driver frustration and in turn to accidents. There were 14 fatal accidents on this stretch of road in the 5 years up to October 1999.
By the year 2007, traffic on the A11 is predicted to have increased to around 24,500 vehicles a day. Conditions will therefore continue to get worse.
The local environment
The Local Environment
This section of A11 lies within an area known as 'The Brecks' or 'Breckland', which is an area of considerable ecological, archaeological and landscape value. It contains a number of sites of European and National conservation value.
Sites of particular relevance are the Rex Graham Reserve, Weather Heath and Horn Heath which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Areas of Conservation; Mildenhall Woods County Wildlife Site and the Elveden Village Conservation Area. In addition the whole area lies within an Environmentally Sensitive Area designated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It also lies within a Special Landscape Area and Area of Important Landscape Quality as designated by Forest Heath District Council and Breckland District Council respectively.
Part of the road is also within a potential Special Protection Area, a European designation relating to the protection of three bird species; stone curlew, nightjar and woodlark.
Options considered
Options Considered
The Highways Agency is putting forward a single option for comment during this Public Consultation. Options that have been rejected are discussed overleaf.
The proposed option would provide a dual two-lane carriageway from Fiveways roundabout to the Thetford Bypass. The improvement would be largely on the line of the existing road, except for a northern bypass of the village of Elveden.
Access to the new dual carriageway would only be possible at five junctions as described in the next section.
The Highways Agency's studies show that the financial benefits of the proposed dual carriageway would more than pay for the Improvement.
The proposed option
For ease of explanation the Improvement can be divided into three parts:
- a predominantly on-line improvement from Fiveways Roundabout to west of Elveden
- a northern bypass of Elveden
- an on-line improvement from east of Elveden to the Thetford Bypass
On-line west of Elveden: The improvement would start to the east of Fiveways Roundabout and would follow the line of the existing road, running east to cross the Cut Off Channel. It would then move to the north of the line of the existing road to pass through Mildenhall Woods in cutting up to 5 metres deep. It would then return to the existing line before continuing across open agricultural land beyond Mildenhall Woods.
The unclassified road connecting the A11 to the A1065 through Mildenhall Woods would be diverted to join the B1112 and would not directly access the new dual carriageway. The B1112 would cross over the widened A11 on a bridge where slip roads would connect the two roads. The alignment would continue past How Hill Tumulus, again generally following the line of the existing road.
It would then continue on a relatively flat and straight alignment for the next 5 kilometres, passing between Weather and Horn Heaths and past the war memorial Monument to a point near Chalk Hall Farm. A new bridge, with no access to the dual carriageway, would be provided for Elveden Farms, to the west of the Heaths.
Elveden Bypass: At Chalk Hall Farm, the alignment would move away from the existing road to pass around the north of the Elveden Village playing fields. A new bridge would connect the Chalk Hall Farm complex with the existing A11 road through Elveden, which would become an access road. South of the Center Parcs entrance, the A11 would pass underneath the B1106 and slip roads would be provided to connect the two roads. The alignment would continue across open fields around the north of Redneck Farm to rejoin the existing A11 to the east of Elveden Gap cottages.
On-line east of Elveden:From Elveden Gap cottages, the alignment would continue on the line of the existing road to join the Thetford Roundabout at the end of the scheme.
A new roundabout near Elveden Gap cottages would provide access to the existing A11 east of the village, to Elveden Gap cottages and to the C633 for southbound lorries.
New accesses to forestry land southwest of the Thetford roundabout and to the MOD firing range to the north of the A11 would be provided from the Thetford Roundabout.
The proposed option would
- be 14.3 kilometres (8.9 miles) long and would cost an estimated £33 million
- require 42 hectares of agricultural land and 23 hectares of woodland
- provide a bypass of Elveden
- use the existing trunk road as one carriageway where possible
Reducing the impact of the proposed option
Effects on the Environment would be reduced by:
- minimising impact on property and ecology and retaining existing roadside vegetation where possible,
- implementation of a carefully designed landscape scheme which would include areas of new planting to help to screen the road and blend it into the surroundings.
What benefits would be achieved
The proposed option would increase the capacity of the trunk road allowing it to accommodate the predicted increase in traffic. It would also move trunk road traffic away from Elveden Village.
This would lead to reduced congestion and improved safety.
Landscape effects
Landscape Effects
The scheme would affect the Special Landscape Area and Area of Important Landscape Quality. The loss of significant roadside vegetation would be minimised by being retained within widened central reserves. New pine shelterbelts and hedgerows would be planted along some sections of the road to complement the existing landscape. The area is sparsely populated and the impact on views from properties and public rights of way would be limited.
Land Use
The scheme would result in the loss of some areas of forestry and arable farmland. The overall impact of the scheme on landuse would be slight.
Water Quality and Drainage
Appropriate measures would be taken to ensure that drainage from the road scheme would not adversely affect watercourses or groundwater sources.
Traffic Noise and Vibration
With the predicted growth in traffic volume over time, traffic noise levels would increase even if no improvement were to be carried out. No properties would experience a greater increase in noise due to the improvement. Properties in Elveden Village, particularly those alongside the existing A11, will experience a significant decrease in traffic noise.
Air Quality
Any increase in congestion will result in an increase in air pollution. Therefore the proposals would provide an improvement in air quality, largely because the road is moved further away from property but also due to reductions in congestion.
Cultural Heritage
The road crosses an area of high archaeological potential, in particular dated to the prehistoric period. Some archaeological sites would be affected by the scheme including historic boundaries, earthworks and cropmarks. The setting of the war memorial Monument would be affected. The scheme would however benefit the Elveden Conservation Area by greatly reducing the volume of traffic in the village.
Disruption due to Construction
Where the proposed route follows the existing A11, the new carriageway would be built alongside the existing road. Much of the improvement could therefore be built without causing major disruption during construction. Local disruption would occur at points where the new road joins with the old and at bridge locations and junctions.
Pedestrians, Cyclists and Equestrians
Pedestrian routes within the village of Elveden would be greatly improved by the reduction in traffic through the village. No public rights of way would be directly severed as a result of the proposals.
Community Effects
Elveden Village would benefit from substantially reduced severance and increased amenity due to the significant reduction in traffic through the village.
Ecology and Nature Conservation
The scheme moves the road further away from the Rex Graham Reserve Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Narrow strips of grass verge forming part of the Weather and Horn Heath SSSI would however be lost. The SSSIs are also designated as Special Areas of Conservation reflecting their importance at a European level. The A11 passes through a potential Special Protection Area and the proposed option would pass through the Mildenhall Woods County Wildlife Site. A number of protected birds, mammals, reptiles and plants together with a considerable number of deer are known to be present in the area. Careful consideration would be given to minimising the impact of the scheme on ecology and nature conservation and replacing any wildlife habitats that are lost.
Rejected options
Three other alignment variations have been considered and have already been rejected.
An option which followed the line of the existing road through Mildenhall Woods was considered but rejected because a dual carriageway on this alignment would require an 8 metre deep cutting over the crest of the hill.
A longer bypass of Elveden that extended further to the west was considered but rejected as it required more agricultural land, severed more agricultural fields and provided no significant benefits over the proposed option.
A shorter bypass of Elveden, which rejoined the existing A11 at the Redneck Farm entrance, was considered but rejected as it moved trunk road traffic nearer to residential property than does the proposed option.
What happens next?
When the results of this consultation have been carefully considered, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions will decide whether to proceed with the scheme and, if so, announce his preferred route which would then be developed in detail.
This would lead in due course to the publication of draft Orders and an Environmental Statement. The Orders would be open to objection and a Public Inquiry could follow. Any comment you make now will not affect your right to object at a later stage.
Further information
Free exhibitions of the Proposals will be held in Elveden, Thetford and Barton Mills at the following times:
| Elveden - Village Hall | |
| Wednesday | 14 February 2001 12pm - 8pm |
| Thursday | 15 February 2001 10am - 7pm |
| Thetford - The Anchor Hotel (Bridge Street) | |
| Friday | 16 February 2001 12pm - 8pm |
| Saturday | 17 February 2001 10am - 4pm |
| Barton Mills - Village Hall | |
| Friday | 23 February 2001 1pm - 8pm |
| Saturday | 24 February 2001 10am - 4pm |
Representatives of the Highways Agency and their Consulting Engineers will be available at the exhibitions to explain the scheme.
Proposals for an A134 Thetford Southern Link will also be displayed at the exhibitions to be held at Elveden and Thetford. This is a separate scheme that is being promoted jointly by Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils.
A report summarising the information gathered so far will be available for inspection at the exhibitions and at the following venues until 16 March 2001:
Norfolk County Council Offices, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2SG
Norfolk County Council Social Services Offices, Elm Road, Thetford
Suffolk County Council Offices,
St Edmund House, County Hall, Ipswich, IP4 1LZ
Suffolk County Council Offices, Shire Hall, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1RX
Breckland District Council Offices, Thetford
Forest Heath District Council Offices, Mildenhall
St Edmundsbury Borough Council Offices, Bury St Edmunds
Thetford Town Council Offices
Thetford Main Post Office, Market Place
Thetford Library
Elveden Post Office
Mildenhall Library
Mildenhall Post Office, Mill Street
Brandon Post Office, Dillons, High Street
Beck Row Post Office
Barton Mills Post Office
Tuddenham Post Office
The Highways Agency, Heron House, 49 - 53 Goldington Road, Bedford, MK40 3LL
