Chamber News

We’re pleased to announce details of the free 20 minute masterclasses at the B2B exhibition on 12th October 2017. We’ve selected a line-up of highly experienced, successful trainers to cover core areas that will be useful for any business.

Ian Hacon, from Yellow Brick Road will kick things off at 11.30am by revealing ‘The Secret of Successful Networking‘ to help visitors make the most of networking opportunities at the exhibition and grow their business contacts.

At 12.15pm we’ll hear from Matt Sykes, a trainer at Mindspan Global, with over 20 years of sales experience. Matt will be delivering an interactive session that focuses on ‘How to improve your selling game‘, revealing the behaviours of highly successful sales professionals.

Jonathan White, Managing Director of Desire Marketing will speak about the effectiveness of ‘Using Social Media to grow your businesses.’ Social media is the perfect digital marketing channel to help businesses with customer retention, acquisition and development strategies. Discover how using LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter can support your business growth at the same time as raising your company profile.

Sarah West, an award winning chartered marketer from Full Mix Marketing will deliver the final session of the day, entitled. ‘How to get the most from your marketing budget‘. This session will cover setting your budget for the results you need, understanding the types of marketing that will give the best return and improving your marketing to get more from your budget and customers.

Completely free and open to all businesses the masterclasses are available for all visitors to attend. Find out more or reserve your place online here

The plans for the long-awaited £300m upgrade of the A47 have been revealed today (Monday 14 August), with the preferred routes for the various section improvements being confirmed.

Highways England, who have been consulting over the details of the project, confirmed improvements for junctions and roundabouts, including Thickthorn roundabout, on the edge of Norwich, and two roundabouts in Great Yarmouth. The two Norfolk sections earmarked for dualling are between North Tuddenham and Easton and between Blofield and North Burlingham.

Philip Davie, Highways England programme leader for the A47, said:

“We have listened to the public’s views and these have helped shape and inform our approach to our proposed schemes.  Work now continues, adding detail to the design for each of the dualling and junction improvements, and on planning how we will deliver them in a way that keeps traffic moving.”

Norfolk Chamber and council leaders welcomed the news but highlighted the need to keep up the momentum for the work to be completed as soon as possible and also for further investment to dual more sections of the 115 mile route between Great Yarmouth and Peterborough.

Commenting on the preferred route announcements, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager for Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:

“”We welcome the announcement of the preferred route options, as the next steps towards delivering the long awaited improvements along the A47.  The A47 is a main route across Norfolk and is very important to the local economy, so we are keen to see these improvements delivered at the earliest opportunity.

“However, there is still a significant way to go to bring one of Norfolk’s main routes up to standard, even with the current planned improvement schemes.   Norfolk Chamber and its members will be working in partnership with the A47 Alliance, to call on Westminster to provide funding for further improvements, such as the dualling of the Acle Straight and the dualling of the section between Tilney and East Winch, both of which will help businesses to deliver greater economic growth and jobs in our region.”

For more details on the preferred option, see the below links:

Dualling between North Tuddenham and Easton

Dualling between Blofield to North Burlingham

A47 / A11 Thickthorn roundabout

Great Yarmouth junctions

Highways England must follow due process in delivering the improvements to the A47.  The announcement of the preferred routes will be followed by detailed survey works, which will lead to a formal Statutory Consultation period and eventually to an application for a Development Consent Order.  It is hoped that the actual construction works will commence in Spring of 2020.

To find out more about future improvements to the A47, attend the Chamber breakfast in Great Yarmouth on 09 November 2017

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise recognise and encourage the outstanding achievements of UK businesses in the fields of:

• Innovation
• International Trade
• Sustainable Development
• Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility)

The UK is full of exciting and innovative businesses and the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are a great way of celebrating their success. Whether a small business with a great innovative product or service, or a larger company running an impressive social mobility programme, these awards are a prestigious way to recognise your contribution to enterprise.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are open to applications from almost all businesses of all sizes throughout the UK in every sector. Almost all UK businesses (including non profit) can apply and the application process is free. All applications must be made online and you may apply for more than one category.

The application process for the 2018 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise closes at midday on Friday 1st September 2017. Please click here to apply. 

If you have any further queries, please email: queensawards@beis.gov.uk or phone: 020 7215 6880

Commenting on the trade statistics for June, released today by the ONS, Julie Austin, International Trade Manager at Norfolk Chamber said:

“The sharp deterioration in the UK’s net trade position in June was disappointing, and means the trade deficit in the second quarter of this year came in slightly higher than in the previous quarter. In Norfolk, the value of export documents processed through the Chamber was nearly £31 million in Q2 – a slight increase on the document value for Q1, which was just under £30 million.

“These figures together with the recent jump in the current account deficit, signals the continued weakness of the UK’s external position. The widening in the UK trade deficit in June was largely driven by a sharp rise in imports. 

“Businesses continue to report that the slump in the value of sterling since the EU referendum remains something of a double-edged sword, as many exporters are also importers, and so face higher input costs due to the weakening currency. While stronger global economic growth may help to boost the UK’s export performance over the second half of the year, it is unlikely to be sufficient to prevent an overall weakening in growth.

“As the Brexit negotiations unfold, safeguarding the favourable terms of trade that UK firms currently enjoy with partners and markets in Europe and beyond must be a key priority. More must also be done to provide greater practical and front-line assistance to UK businesses looking to trade in both current and new markets.”

DONG Energy is proposing to develop a new offshore wind farm (Hornsea Project Three) in the North Sea, off the North Norfolk Coast. The proposed wind farm will be capable of generating up to 2,400 MW of electricity, enough to meet the average daily needs of more than two million homes.

They are holding a series of public events from 4-13 September where you can find out more, ask questions and comment on the proposals. 

Norfolk consultation event dates are:

Mon     04 Sept 17       3pm – 7pm                   Swardeston Village Hall           

Tues    05 Sept 17       4pm – 7.30pm             King’s Centre, Norwich                       

Wed     06 Sept 17       4pm – 8pm                   Corpusty and Saxthorpe Village Hall

Thurs   07 Sept 17       3.30pm – 7.30pm         Weybourne Village Hall

Fri        08 Sept 17       3.30pm – 7.30pm         Reepham Town Hall

Tues    12 Sept 17       4pm – 7.30pm              Hall for All, Weston Longville

Wed     13 Sept 17       3pm – 7.30pm              Holt Community Centre

For more information see the project website.

Drivers are warned to expect delays on the A140 into Norwich from the north today (Fri 11 August)  following the urgent reprogramming of work that will require two-way traffic lights from around 8.00am. Some of the work on the construction of the A140 Cromer Road/A1270 Norwich Northern Distributor Road junction, has to be carried out under the observation of a gas inspector, who became available at short notice for a limited period. The traffic lights will be under manual control to minimise delays. Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for this late announcement and for the disruption this will cause on the A140, especially following the closure yesterday of the B1149 Holt Road for up to three months. ~ The start of work on breaking up Holt Road was delayed by Wednesday’s bad weather and will now start today (Fri).

Traffic lights on the A140 Cromer Road at the Norwich NDR junction construction site will be lifted for the opening weekend (12-13 August) of Cromer Carnival, which runs from Saturday 12 August to Friday 18th.

Traffic lights will be needed on the A140 again next week, but only during the day. Where possible, they will be used out of peak hours, and will be manually controlled if they have to be used during busy times. They are needed because work on the approaches to the new north roundabout and bridge over the NDR is very close to live traffic on the A140 Cromer Road.

Motorists are advised to allow for similar delays on the A140 Cromer Road over the coming weeks as construction teams carry out as much work as possible ahead of two weeks of A140 overnight closures (8pm to 6am). These are scheduled to start on Monday 4 September to tie-in the new roundabout and bridge over the NDR to the existing road.

Buxton Road, Spixworth

On Buxton Road, Spixworth, 24-hour two-way traffic lights will remain in use until the closure of the road to vehicles for two weeks from Monday 21 August to tie-in and surface the new bridge over the NDR. Cyclists and pedestrians will not be affected since the separate cycling and pedestrian path over the bridge should be complete next week.

Holt Road closure – diverting traffic

Additional signs are being added on Church Street, Horsford, directing all traffic from the A140 to turn left at its junction with the B1149 Holt Road. Drivers heading for Horsford and towards Holt can then use the New Drayton Lane roundabout to return north. This avoids a build-up of traffic on Church Street caused by right turning vehicles.

Plumstead Road, Thorpe End footway and mini-roundabout Work on a footway extension and mini-roundabout that was postponed this week because of the bad weather will resume in Thorpe End on Tuesday when a vacuum excavator will start excavating around buried service pipes and cables. Two-way temporary lights will be needed during the footway works, and three-way lights when work moves on to the mini-roundabout at the junction of Plumstead Road with Broadland Drive. The work, which is part of the main Northern Distributor Road project, will take up to six weeks altogether. Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for the disruption caused by these and other traffic management measures during construction of the new road.

Monthly headlines:

• UK GDP growth up slightly in Q2, boosted by stronger service sector output
• Inflation slows in June, while the UK jobs market goes from strength to strength 
• IMF downgrades its UK growth forecast as latest BCC QES points to subdued economic activity

The first official estimate for Q2 2017 GDP growth revealed that the UK economy grew by 0.3% in Q2 2017, up slightly from the growth of 0.2% recorded in Q1.

UK CPI inflation stood at 2.6% in June 2017, down from the 2.9% rise recorded in the previous month, but is still above the Bank of England’s 2% inflation target. Falling fuel prices were the main driver behind the fall in the inflation rate last month.

In the three months to May 2017, UK employment rose by 175,000, mainly driven by a 133,000 rise in the number of full time workers.  UK unemployment dropped by 64,000 over the same period.  These figures suggest the UK’s jobs market is edging closer to full capacity.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its outlook for the UK economy. The IMF cut its GDP forecast for 2017 to 1.7%, from its previous forecast of 2.0%. The IMF forecast for UK growth in 2018 was unchanged at 1.5%.

For full details of this month’s economic review click here.

Chamber members had the opportunity to highlight and discuss the challenges facing the local business community with Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North today (Wednesday 09 August).

Amongst the topics discussed were Brexit; business rates; the need for better broadband and mobile coverage; road and rail improvements; and the skills and enterprise agenda.

On Brexit, the business community highlighted the need for the Government to move forward with negotiations and asked for continued communication and engagement when considering replacement UK regulations.  With business rates, the group stressed the urgent need for the Government to review the business rates system to provide a much fairer system of collecting business contributions.

Mobile and broadband coverage was again raised as a considerable challenge to those businesses wanting to be able to take advantage of new technology developments and compete with the rest of the UK.  They noted that unreliable connections act as barriers to growth, which put those companies most in need of support at a competitive disadvantage.

All agreed that more work needed to be done to close the gap between business and education, some of which can be done locally, but more support from central Government was called for to help put more focus on the enterprise.

Commenting on the meeting, Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager from Norfolk Chamber said:

“We are really pleased to welcome Chloe Smith to the Norfolk Chamber office to hear from the local business community.  It is important that our MPs understand the needs of business and the Chamber will continue to ensure our members views are hear loud and clear in Westminster.”

Fox Studio is a Design Agency based in Norwich, Norfolk. We are a web and brand design agency, specialising in the design and development of a companies or a brands online presence. We deliver big ideas and even bigger results with more agility and efficiency than larger digital agencies. We succeed because we are good, not because we are big. 

We pride ourselves on being honest and transparent. We’ll never try to confuse your with industry buzzwords or jargon. We have a genuine passion for all things digital, putting a lot of effort into all the projects we do, not just to make a quick buck! 

Being at the heart of Norfolk (Norwich), joining Norfolk Chamber of Commerce was a fundamental choice in progressing Fox Studio’s future. All businesses and brands need to look good. Statistics shows 81% of people conduct online research before buying or making contact with a business. This is a given that design is number one priority when it comes to presenting yourself or your business online.

Fox Studio is supported by Princes Trust and also members of The UK Web Design Association, RAR+ and Google Partner.

The B1149 Holt Road will be closed south of Horsford in the early hours of Wednesday, 9 August.

The road has to close to make way for the A1270 Norwich Northern Distributor Road dual carriageway and to allow construction of slip roads serving the major junction with the A140 Cromer Road. Work to break up the redundant section of Holt Road will begin immediately, and there will be no access through the site for cyclists or pedestrians.

All B1149 traffic, including cyclists, will be diverted via New Drayton Lane (opened in July) and Reepham Road to join the A140 Cromer Road at the Boundary Junction (reverse for northbound traffic). This diversion will remain in place until traffic can use the NDR dual carriageway and A140 junction to restore access to the A140 Cromer Road. It is expected to take up to three months to complete the junction.

The closure and diversion will put pressure on the surrounding network, including roads through Hellesdon and Drayton and on Church Street, Horsford.  A number of measures have been taken for safety and to reduce delays, including:

• Advisory signs (from Wednesday) on Holt Road at the Cawston roundabout (B1145) and the Shortthorn Road junction to reduce B1149 traffic.
• Extension north of the 30mph temporary speed limit on the A140 Cromer Road to include the Church Street junction.
• A variable message electronic sign on the A140 soutbound approach to the Church Street junction and 30mph speed limit..
• Signs asking all traffic heading into Horsford along Church Street to turn left at the junction with Holt Road. Drivers heading north into Horsford will be able to loop around the New Drayton Lane roundabout. This should reduce peak hour delays.
• Adjustment of traffic light timings at the Middleton’s Lane/A140 junction to allow for extra traffic from Reepham Road. (There is limited scope for adjustment at the Boundary Junction lights.)

Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for the unavoidable disruption to normal travel.

No reopening for vehicles, a quieter route for cyclists

Holt Road south of the New Drayton Lane roundabout will not reopen as a through-route for vehicles. Instead, the B1149 will be re-routed along New Drayton Lane to the NDR’s Drayton Lane Roundabout. Drivers will then be able to leave the NDR at the A140 junction, or continue on the dual carriageway to destinations east of Norwich Airport. This arrangement will ensure that the A140/NDR junction – where the A140 goes over the NDR, linked to the dual carriageway by roundabouts and slip roads – works as efficiently as possible. In particular, it will prevent the recurrence of a current problem where A140 traffic has to give way at the roundabout to all B-road traffic, often causing tail-backs on the A-road.

Once the NDR/Cromer Road junction is complete, cyclists will be able to use the closed section of Holt Road as a short-cut to the junction, where a cycle track will lead to a crossing point on A140 Cromer Road, from which point cyclists can use New Home Lane to Horsham St Faith, or the cycle route on the east side of the A140 bridge over the NDR.

The Norfolk Strategic Framework covers the whole of the County and aims to provide high level strategic guidance to inform the next round of Local Plans and is now out for consultation.

The document is prepared jointly by Breckland Council, Broadland District Council, Broads Authority, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, North Norfolk District Council, Norwich City Council, Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council.  It sets out their shared objectives on housing, employment and infrastructure.

They are now looking for feedback from individuals and businesses on the Norfolk Strategic Framework document.  The deadline for submitting your comments is: Friday 22 Sept 2017.

The document explains the main demographic, household and employment forecasts and how these affect the future development needs of the County, outlines national planning policy requirements, and includes high level visions relating to the economy, climate change, housing, quality of life and the environment. 

Comments are invited on any aspect of the document but please make it clear which section/paragraph number(s) your comments relate to.   

Have your say now by going to: https://norfolk.citizenspace.com/consultation/norfolk-strategic-framework