Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to improve wind shielding on the Orwell Bridge in Suffolk; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Freeman
Highways England has no current plans to improve wind shielding on the Orwell Bridge. Any introduction of new features would have loading implications for the structure, which is 1287 meters long.
Highways England is aware of the impact any closure of the Orwell Bridge has during high winds. Any decision to close it is not taken lightly and is made on safety grounds alone.
Highways England commissioned a study in October 2018 which will help determine whether the current closure threshold is appropriate. It has meetings planned with business partners and stakeholders later this month to present and discuss its findings and next steps. The study will then be published on Highways England’s website.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the environment of an Ipswich Northern Bypass; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department requested Sub-national Transport Bodies (STBs) and regional groupings to provide advice by the end of July on their local road investment priorities for the Major Road Network (MRN) and Large Local Major (LLM) programmes. Transport East, who are the relevant regional body for the area, included the proposed Ipswich Northern Routes scheme in their advice.
The Department will now carefully consider the evidence of the impact and potential benefits of the proposed scheme. We expect local authorities to demonstrate, among other things, the scheme’s value for money, deliverability and its impact and benefits to local residents and the environment.
MRN investments should endeavor to help secure positive environmental enhancements in line with the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan (A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment published January 2018). Where negative impacts cannot be avoided, we expect scheme promoters to minimise and mitigate these impacts in line with existing requirements.
Announcements on successful schemes will be made in due course.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for a Felixstowe to Nuneaton freight rail link; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Rail freight offers benefits for the environment, helps reduce road congestion and is important to UK businesses. The Williams Rail Review, currently underway, is considering how the rail industry can better respond to needs of the rail freight sector as it grows.
The Felixstowe to Nuneaton rail corridor (F2N) is a strategically important freight route. In Control Period 5 (2014-2019), £65m was invested in upgrading the Felixstowe Branch Line, including a significant private-sector contribution from the port. The extra capacity delivered on the branch line will support up to 10 additional trains per day in each direction to move goods to and from the Port of Felixstowe (although further enhancements will be required to realise this in full). This investment means that from December, up to 38 trains per day will be able to run in each direction.
In Control Period 6 (2019-2024), further funding is being made available to develop business cases for further freight enhancements on this vital corridor. Examples of F2N-related business cases under development include Haughley Junction redoubling, the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement, and Syston – Trent Junction enhancements (in Leicestershire).
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many days the A14 Orwell Bridge has been closed in each year since 2000.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Year | Total Closures |
2015 (from 1 April) | 1 |
2016 | 2 |
2017 | 2 |
2018 | 6 |
2019 (to 30 June) | 2 |
The closure summary above is categorised as follows:
Year | High Winds | Suicide | Road Traffic Incident |
2015 (from 1 April) | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
2018 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
2019 (to 30 June) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Roadworks closures have not been included in the above summaries because of the way Highways England record roadworks data. Their records do not identify the Orwell Bridge as a specific section, nor do their records differentiate between a complete closure or a lane closure.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to support road improvements to the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department is currently reviewing Suffolk County Council’s proposed A12 Suffolk Energy Gateway scheme and will announce its decision in due course.
The Department has also asked Transport for the East to provide it with advice later this year on its priority Major Road Network and Large Local Major schemes. Transport for the East can if desired include proposals for improvements to the A12 in this advice.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what protections there are to protect areas of outstanding natural beauty against new road building.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The National Networks National Policy Statement (NPS) sets out Government’s policies to deliver development of nationally significant infrastructure projects on the national road and rail networks in England. It is the basis for examination of schemes by an independent inspector and decisions by the Secretary of State.
As set out in the NPS, there is a strong presumption against any significant road widening or the building of new roads in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), unless it can be shown there are compelling reasons for the new or enhanced capacity and with any benefits outweighing the costs significantly. AONB designated areas have a specific statutory purpose that helps ensure their continued protection and which the Secretary of State has a statutory duty to have regard to in decisions.
Further protections for AONB are set out in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and Defra’s English national parks and the broads: UK government vision and circular 2010 or successor documents.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned completion date is for road improvements to the A140 in Suffolk close to the Norfolk border; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Suffolk County Council was awarded £3.8 million of Government funding for improvements to the A140 at Eye. These improvements are due to be completed by 31 March 2020. The A140 is a local road and these improvements are the responsibility of Suffolk County Council.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to allocate funding from his Department to improvements to the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department is considering a funding request to the Large Local Majors Fund from Suffolk County Council for a bypass of the A12 around the villages of (a) Marlesford, (b) Stratford St Andrew, (c) Farnham and (d) Little Glemham. The Department will announce a decision in due course on whether or not to provide funding for the scheme.
This stretch of the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft may be eligible to meet the objective criteria for inclusion on the proposed Major Road Network. If so, local authorities may bid for funding from the National Roads Fund, subject to any proposals meeting the usual business case and value for money requirements.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to allocate funding for a bypass on the A12 north of Wickham Market around the villages of (a) Marlesford, (b) Stratford St Andrew, (c) Farnham and (d) Little Glemham.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department is considering a funding request to the Large Local Majors Fund from Suffolk County Council for a bypass of the A12 around the villages of (a) Marlesford, (b) Stratford St Andrew, (c) Farnham and (d) Little Glemham. The Department will announce a decision in due course on whether or not to provide funding for the scheme.
This stretch of the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft may be eligible to meet the objective criteria for inclusion on the proposed Major Road Network. If so, local authorities may bid for funding from the National Roads Fund, subject to any proposals meeting the usual business case and value for money requirements.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for restoring a direct train service between Lowestoft and London Victoria via Ipswich.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Greater Anglia has a Franchise Agreement commitment to restore a direct train service between Lowestoft and London Liverpool Street via Ipswich. In line with this commitment, Greater Anglia are currently working with industry partners to secure the necessary access rights and approvals to secure the delivery of this direct service.