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Commuters and motorists will face diversions during sewer works in Norfolk village
Caister High Street will be closed from April 1 to 7 while sewer works are carried out. - Credit: Archant
Motorists and commuters will face diversions while sewer works are carried out in Caister.
The work, scheduled to last from April 1 to 7, will see water and sewerage utilities connected to a new development on the village’s High Street.
Norfolk County Council has said the utility connection sits in the middle of the village’s high street, meaning the road will have to close for the duration of the works.
First Bus will be diverting its services along Norwich Road and the Caister by-pass, with the centre of the village served by the number 4 bus once an hour.
Buses being diverted include the 1 and 1A, serving Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Martham, and the number 8, serving the James Paget Hospital, Great Yarmouth and Caister.
Caister High Street will be closed from April 1 to 7 while sewer works are carried out. - Credit: Archant
Iain Rankine, network manager at First Eastern Counties, said: “We realise this temporary diversion is likely to inconvenience several people for the week the works take place, but there are limited options available for buses to run safely through the area.”
At a meeting with Norfolk County Council it had been suggested that services run via Grange Road.
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However, after testing the suggestion, it was found not to be practical or safe to run services along that stretch of road due to the size and frequency of buses that would need to operate, Mr Rankine said.
Caister Parish Council has said it is “concerned and disappointed that no-one has seen fit to consult the village or parish council before agreeing to these works”.
Caister High Street will be closed from April 1 to 7 while sewer works are carried out. - Credit: Archant
The parish council has asked for a further meeting with the county council.
“We will continue to voice our concern on this closure,” a spokesman said.
But Jon Winnett, an engineer with Norfolk County Council Highways, said: “The principal reason the road needs to close is the sewer and water connection sits in the middle of the carriageway.”
He also said that Norfolk Highways is “not obliged to consult with parish councils over road closures”.
In the future the council would direct utility companies to speak first with a parish council, which could raise objections, but the county council would not be obliged to take those objections on board, he said.
