Timeline of events

December 2020

We will:

Conduct internal shortlisting against scheme objectives and value for money of proposed schemes to take forward to consultation
Seek outline approval of proposed shortlist from cabinet member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport
Submit the initial consultation proposal for these schemes to Department for Transport before 11 December, with links to the relevant section of our website
Receive Department for Transport comments and funding by 17 December
Discuss with communications lead, operational leads and local County Council members
Publish a proactive press release to reflect receipt of funding and raise awareness
Publish all proposals on the Norfolk County Council website

January 2021

We will:

Conduct an informal consultation with all relevant County Council, District Council Ward Councillors and relevant MP(s) in areas affected to identify key concerns and considerations
Start detailed design work for proposed programme

February/March 2021

We will:

Publish an update of our proposals on our website
Ask members of the public to complete an online survey as part of a public consultation on the proposals overall and the individual elements
Make paper and accessible copies of the proposals available and take feedback via telephone and email if needed
Write directly to all local residents and businesses directly affected to inform them of the proposals and feedback mechanisms
Write directly to all standard statutory consultees used on all Norfolk County Council Highway schemes. This list includes all emergency services, public transport providers and local accessibility and campaign groups (available to Department for Transport on request)
Promote the consultation to the wider public via a news release published on our website and shared via local media, social media and partner organisations in the relevant districts affected
Make all public consultations live for a minimum of three weeks in line with good practice

April 2021

Council officers and local County Councillors will review all feedback before a Cabinet or a delegated decision will be made by the Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport to proceed with schemes proposed and/or make any necessary amendments to the final designs
We will communicate to all stakeholders (including confirmation letter to Department for Transport) on the outcome of all consultation and any changes made as a result and make this information available on our website and communicate directly to all consultees who have requested to be kept informed (in line with GDPR)
Before starting construction, we will supply a letter signed by the leader of the Council or a senior officer to the DfT, confirming the above

Letters do not need to show unilateral support, but instead that reasonable levels of consultation have been carried out and reasonable adjustments to schemes made in response to concerns.

Any necessary Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) will be progressed ahead of construction.

Monitoring and evaluation

We will continually monitor the performance of each scheme using relevant footfall/cycle count data, impact on wider traffic network and any feedback received from stakeholders and the public.

We will also directly invite further feedback from the local community in each area where improvements are carried out. This will be conducted via a public opinion survey (provided by Department for Transport) conducted at 6 and 12 months following each scheme's installation.

If timescales can be advanced for any schemes we will do so.

Consultation engagement

We take engagement seriously and have an online consultation hub. This holds both open and closed consultations, and will include all Active Travel schemes.