Big Transport Announcements For Region

27 October 2010, 16:27 | Updated: 27 October 2010, 16:31

A big transport project to transform Ipswich town centre has officially got the go-ahead today but one that has been planned for Norwich is going to have to wait until the end of next year.

£25 million is going to be spent on improving traffic in Ipswich town centre, making things better for pedestrians and cyclists and completely refitting the bus stations.

The plan was picked over lots of other bids from all over the country.

Local Transport Minister Norman Baker told Heart, "Money's tight and we have a duty to use people's taxes wisely and we believe this is good value for money for the tax payer and certainly good value for money for Ipswich. We have looked again at how we asses transport projects - we're giving more weight for example to the value of carbon. When people come to town centres on their bike or on foot, they'll spend more time and more money in the shops, so it's good for the businesses and community as well."

To see all the plans, just follow the link.

Meanwhile,

We are being told there is still a chance the Northern Distributor Route around Norwich will be built.

It would divert traffic around the North of the city to cut congestion, and a decision is being made at the end of next year about whether it will get funding.

Norwich North MP Chloe Smith says she will keep campaigning to get it built, but there is only so much money so go around at the moment: "It is a shame, but not entirely surprising. There is a limited amount of money and I think most people appreciate the very difficult financial situation that this country has now been left in and people do appreciate some of the choices that have had to be made."

She added, "I do remain a very strong supporter of the NDR scheme. It's a road that we need for businesses and for people that just want to get around our own city. It's the kind of road that will remove congestion from the city centre and will open up more choices for people about how they travel."