Latest news with #GrahamPlant
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Electric buses help boost Norwich air quality levels
A fleet of battery-powered buses is being credited with bringing air quality in a city within legal 2023, monitoring in Norwich showed a peak of 38.5 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide in a cubic metre of air. The legal limit in the UK and the EU is County Council said figures show the city level fell to 16.5 micrograms per cubic metre during eight of the past 11 Plant, cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said: "After all the hard work put into bringing these buses to Norfolk, it's great to see the impact the switch to electric can have for our environment." Councillor Plant added: " These new electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions, which means a cleaner, greener environment for people to live, work and enjoy. "With the Roundtree Way depot now operating a fully electric fleet, Norfolk really is a leader in sustainable public transport in the East of England."First Bus put their hand in their pocket, they put in several million pounds - more than what the government put in - to make electric work in Norwich."That is really important to understand, it's not just the government paying for this; operators are also part of the answer." Asher Minns, executive director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, based at the University of East Anglia, said the figures were encouraging, but he would prefer to see a longer monitoring period to be certain about the reduction in emissions."There is no reason to think that the electric buses are contributing to the improvement in air quality in those city centre bits where the air quality was really poor and where the buses are frequent."Air quality improvement really did start from a pretty low base, definitely linked to diesel buses, not least because these were end-of-life buses that were being sent to Norwich, whereas now we've got state-of-the-art electric buses on quite a lot of the routes."He said Norwich, although famous for being flat, was prone to a phenomenon called thermal inversion."[This] is where air pollution can sit on top of the hill that is Norwich in winter on cold days and on hot days," he added."That isn't pollution from Norwich; we accumulate pollution from the continent and the south east, so there is a bit of geography and topography in there which isn't in the control of certainly for Norwich itself, one of the main contributors that can be influenced is to do with air quality from traffic." The battery bus fleet was purchased with a £14.7m government grant, which Norfolk County Council applied for, and £23m from FirstBus, which operates the Eastern Counties Marlow, managing director of First Bus East of England, said: "These figures are a clear sign that zero-emission transport can play a significant role in creating cleaner, healthier places for people. "We're incredibly proud to see the investment in electric buses and depot infrastructure already delivering meaningful benefits for Norwich." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Months of roadworks to start at major junction
The first phase of roadworks to improve a major route into Norwich for cyclists and pedestrians starts on Monday and is set to last until November. The £2.2m upgrade will extend the "yellow pedalway" route along the A140 Holt Road between Middletons Lane in Hellesdon, and Broadland Northway, known locally as the Northern Distributor Road. Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council's Conservative cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, told BBC Radio Norfolk it would ultimately benefit "isolated communities that don't have safe cycling access to the city". Local people and business said they were expecting "quite a lot of disruption" but broadly welcomed the plans. Temporary traffic lights will be installed at the A140 junction with Amsterdam Way, by Norwich Airport, overnight on Sunday, They will start operating from Monday between 07:00 and 19:00 until mid-November while a new pedestrian and cycle crossing is installed. "It will also improve public transport access to the airport and to community sports facilities at The Nest, enabling those who live nearby to safely walk or cycle there," said Plant. Lacey Douglass, Conservative member for Hellesdon South East on Broadland District Council, said residents were expecting "disruption" but that ultimately local people would benefit from being able to walk or cycle to the countryside. "We have a real lack of green spaces in Hellesdon, so that is a positive," she said. Charles Sanders, managing director of Sanders Coaches, said of the potential disruption that: "We'll just have to see how it goes and hopefully passengers will bear with us. "We're really hoping it won't get too bad." The work will include the upgrading and widening of traffic signals, islands and footpaths. Work on the paths outside residential properties will be completed in early 2026. The third and final phase linking the upgraded route to the Broadland Northway will happen next year, at a date to be announced. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Footbridge brings bypass a step closer Major £200m road scheme gets government approval Work begins on long awaited £47m bypass around town Norfolk County Council: Highways
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
A140 roadworks starting on major Norwich road at Hellesdon
The first phase of roadworks to improve a major route into Norwich for cyclists and pedestrians starts on Monday and is set to last until £2.2m upgrade will extend the "yellow pedalway" route along the A140 Holt Road between Middletons Lane in Hellesdon, and Broadland Northway, known locally as the Northern Distributor Plant, Norfolk County Council's Conservative cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, told BBC Radio Norfolk it would ultimately benefit "isolated communities that don't have safe cycling access to the city".Local people and business said they were expecting "quite a lot of disruption" but broadly welcomed the plans. Temporary traffic lights will be installed at the A140 junction with Amsterdam Way, by Norwich Airport, overnight on Sunday, They will start operating from Monday between 07:00 and 19:00 until mid-November while a new pedestrian and cycle crossing is installed."It will also improve public transport access to the airport and to community sports facilities at The Nest, enabling those who live nearby to safely walk or cycle there," said Douglass, Conservative member for Hellesdon South East on Broadland District Council, said residents were expecting "disruption" but that ultimately local people would benefit from being able to walk or cycle to the countryside."We have a real lack of green spaces in Hellesdon, so that is a positive," she said. Charles Sanders, managing director of Sanders Coaches, said of the potential disruption that: "We'll just have to see how it goes and hopefully passengers will bear with us."We're really hoping it won't get too bad."The work will include the upgrading and widening of traffic signals, islands and on the paths outside residential properties will be completed in early third and final phase linking the upgraded route to the Broadland Northway will happen next year, at a date to be announced. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Contractors fined £685k for non-compliant Norfolk roadworks
A county council has issued fines totalling £685,000 in a year for non-compliant County Council said it issued 44,000 street and roadwork permits in 2024-25 to utility firms and it said it rejected 5,400 of 7,000 applications for unplanned emergency works, deeming them penalty notices totalling £340,000 were handed out for 2,809 repairs that did not have a permit or failed to comply with permit conditions. The remaining £345,000 was collected from 306 repair jobs which overran, causing a total of 1,317 additional days of disruption on the county's roads County Council said 74 utility companies had the legal right to undertake works on public highways, and as such its powers "remain limited under national legislation".But the council said it was "committed to holding companies accountable" and in the past 12 months it successfully prosecuted two utility companies where a court imposed fines totalling almost £100,000, with full costs Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport said: "We are doing everything within our power to manage the impact of roadworks on Norfolk's communities."But the reality is that we don't have the authority to stop or delay many of these works. "Utility companies have a legal right to dig up our roads, and in emergency cases, they can start work before even notifying us. "While this lack of control makes it incredibly difficult to protect residents from disruption, we do hold third parties to account and will issue fines and reject permits when we need to." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Smart meter rollout threatens countryside with ‘oppressive' 40ft masts
A nationwide rollout of smart meters threatens to clutter the countryside with 40-foot poles. Water companies are preparing to install dedicated wireless networks to transmit the readings of a planned 10m devices that will collect live data on household and business water usage. Under the proposals, the so-called 'telemetry' poles will appear in already-crowded streets to handle the data, with companies exploiting planning rules brought in by the last government that effectively allow poles to be put up with little or no consultation or warnings for residents. Regions already hit by the new devices include the historic town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in Northumberland, where 20 planning applications, each for multiple poles, have been lodged to support Northumbrian Water's smart meter programme. The plans have generated a wave of objections, with locals complaining of 'an unsightly clutter of overbearing poles' that it is claimed will be 'obstructing natural light and creating an oppressive outlook'. Similar schemes are also generating fury further south. Essex and Suffolk Water intends to put up an initial 157 poles in Great Yarmouth alone, with plans for hundreds more around the region. Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council's cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, told a council meeting: 'I'm seriously concerned because this isn't just Great Yarmouth going to get hit, but all the major towns, all the villages are going to get these telegraph poles put up.' Anglian Water, which provides water for the rest of Norfolk, has also been installing pillars to monitor smart meter usage. The plan has infuriated Norfolk County Council, which argued that existing networks should have been used rather than putting up scores of new poles. Ptolemy Dean, official Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey, and author of Streetscapes, on the evolution of street architecture, said the water metering poles would be an aesthetic disaster for Britain's towns and villages. He said: 'This is a nasty, cheap short-term fix that will damage public spaces and devalue the homes of people living nearby.' The main contractor putting up the poles is Hull-based Connexin, which is already working for multiple water companies. A spokesman said thousands more poles were needed around the UK. 'Water companies need data and this is the best way to collect it,' he said. Connexin is exploiting 'permitted development' planning rules brought in by the last government that effectively allow the company to erect poles wherever it wants with little or no consultation or warnings for residents. Under UK planning law telecoms poles which are less than 15 metres high are included under permitted development so there is no need for planning permission. Connexin's spokesman said: 'We would like to install the wireless routers on existing infrastructure but there is often nothing suitable. It is frustrating for the owners of nearby properties but we are erecting them under permitted development rules which allow us to do that.' Ofwat, the water regulator, which is strongly in favour of smart meters, distanced itself from the row. A spokesman said: 'Water companies are responsible for installing their own equipment and technology and following their local authorities' rules and regulations. 'It is not for Ofwat the economic water regulator to determine how and where poles are installed locally.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
