THE South Denes loop road in Great Yarmouth will close to the public after Christmas as the outer harbour prepares to become fully operational.South Beach Parade and South Denes Road will be closed and gated.

THE South Denes loop road in Great Yarmouth will close to the public after Christmas as the outer harbour prepares to become fully operational.

South Beach Parade and South Denes Road will be closed and gated. On South Beach Parade the new gates on to the EastPort site will be 50m south of the junction with Hartmann Road.

For non-port traffic, vehicles heading south along South Beach Parade will be directed to turn right on to Hartmann Road, which connects with South Denes Road. South Denes Road will be gated close to the river mouth, and a new turning area will allow non-port traffic to turn without difficulty.

Altogether, just over 1km of highway is being shut to general traffic and incorporated into the port. Closure will allow EastPort's outer harbour and river port to operate as one.

Eddie Freeman, EastPort's chief executive officer, said the road had been kept open for as long as possible during the harbour building project.

He added: “The construction phase is coming to an end, and from the end of this month it is important that the outer harbour and the river port can operate efficiently, securely and safely as a single entity.”

The date and timing of the closure will depend on completion of work on the gates and the installation of road signs.