Work to begin on new Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital roundabout

Improvements are due to be made on the main Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital roundabout through an upcoming developer-led scheme.

Work on the £1 million-plus scheme is scheduled to start on Monday 9 September and will last for around six months. The work will see improved pedestrian and cycle access to the hospital and nearby research park, alongside the installation of a new Toucan crossing.

The roundabout will remain open during the majority of the scheme. Colney Lane East - which leads to the hospital from Round House Way - will be closed to traffic for four weeks in early 2025. During this closure, alternative access to the hospital will be via Hethersett Lane and Rosalind Franklin Road, which provides a direct route to the multi-storey car park and the hospital access road.

Cllr Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport at Norfolk County Council, said: "This work will ultimately deliver significant benefits to those needing to access the hospital and the institutions that make up the research park.

"We know this will lead to some delays at this sensitive part of the road network and we would ask that people use the alternative routes available and plan their journeys in advance so that any disruption is kept to a minimum." 

Bullen Developments and its contractor Breheny have worked hard to minimise disruption, particularly to the hospital. They have liaised closely with the hospital and emergency services to ensure they continue to have safe access at all times, as well as Norwich Research Park.  

The developer is leading the project, with certain elements delivered in partnership with Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council. This partnership approach has enabled the improvements to be delivered as a single scheme, reducing disruption to road users during the work. 

Planning permission was granted in 2013 for the development of the Norwich Research Park and included conditions that required off-site infrastructure to enable safe and sustainable access to the park. Some of that infrastructure has already been delivered such as the roundabout on Hethersett Lane and the signalised junction at Hethersett Lane/B1108.