Parish Council Group Letter published in Eastern Daily Press 25 May 2023 requesting the Reinstatement of the Postwick Park and Ride Service
Dear Sir
The Postwick Park and Ride service (East of Norwich city) was closed during the pandemic in March 2020 and leased by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for use as a Covid Testing Centre.
From 29 June 2022 all other P and R sites in Norwich re-opened but Norfolk County Council (NCC) published a Decision Notice on 4 August 2022 stating that Postwick would remain closed until passenger numbers across the other sites were back to 75% of pre-covid levels. Instead of allocating the revenue from DHSC to support the restoration of Postwick P and R, it was used to fund the operation of other Norwich Park and Ride sites.
A temporary service was reinstated which ran from 21 November to 24 December 2022. Despite an initial indication from both NCC and the operator that it would serve as a pilot for permanent re-opening, it received minimal advertising despite the service having been closed for so long, the running hours were not appropriate for commuting workers, the route was altered to provide no intermediate stops and Parish Councils were notified a couple of days later that NCC intended to close the service.
NCC said following questioning that the re-opening was not a trial and the intention was to enable shoppers to access the city during the festive period (rather than offering a viable service for those working in the city). NCC still maintains that this may be a temporary closure if it can be proven that passenger numbers will recover. It has not been made clear however, how this can be evaluated while the service ceases to run.
A Freedom of Information request to NCC admitted that a business plan for the temporary re-opening of the park and ride with a range of costed options together with short and long term forecasts had not been produced.
We, the undersigned would like to see the reinstatement of the Postwick P and R service for the following reasons:
Residents will use a bus service if it is convenient, comfortable and financially advantageous for them to do so. The service could be altered to include key stops including the Broadland and Broadland Gate Business Parks, Norwich and Norfolk University hospital and the University of East Anglia. This service has been closed, blaming residents for a failure to use it, rather than considering other more viable and imaginative business options.
The surrounding area is marked for significant growth both in terms of housing and business development. P and R services reduce congestion in cities and carbon emissions. A failure to reopen the service will cause the opposite to happen. Little is being done in Broadland to offer serious and practical alternatives to car use on the scale that is required to achieve the government’s Net Zero targets.
The population East of Norwich is expanding and will continue to do so. Approximately 100,000 people live in the Great Yarmouth district and closures of retail outlets and employment centres in that area make Norwich the main business centre, resulting in significant traffic coming into Norwich. Norwich City Council’s policies aim to reduce traffic entering the centre and removal of a Park and Ride service east of the city runs contrary to that.
Reinstatement of the service, together with extensive advertising, would help mark the reversal of the pattern we see of rural communities in the East gradually losing key infrastructure services due to lack of investment.
Yours faithfully
Postwick Parish Council
Freethorpe Parish Council
Reedham Parish Council
Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby Parish Council
Brundall Parish Council
Acle Parish Council
Beighton Parish Council
Strumpshaw Parish Council
Blofield Parish Council
Cantley Parish Council
Lingwood and Burlingham Parish Council
