A major project to make improvements to travel around a Norfolk town has been thrown into disarray after the council were told they had to clean up contaminated land.
The multi-million-pound Active and Clean transport project, which hopes to create new cycle lanes, walkways and ‘travel hubs’ – a car park with additional facilities – around King’s Lynn has become unaffordable.
It follows the Environment Agency changing their guidance on phosphogypsum, a radioactive material used in road surfacing known to cause cancer.
The EA has told West Norfolk Council it will need to remove this contaminant from an area of land at the Nar Ouse Enterprise Zone before creating a planned travel hub, which would feature 50 car parking spaces, electric vehicle charging points and cycle parking.
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Environmental experts believing leaving the material there will result in it leeching into the River Nar – a globally rare chalk stream.
At a Major Project Board meeting this week, senior councillors feared this may make the project undeliverable unless more funding could be found or the guidance was changed.
The situation frustrated members at the Independent-controlled council.
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Brian Long, leader of the Conservative opposition group, said: “Protecting watercourses is important but the material has been leaching into the river for years and will continue to do so.
“If the council cannot deliver this project then this land will remain contaminated. That is not the correct answer.”
Simon Ring, deputy leader, added: “It is complete nonsense. We may have to move the location, which means the phosphogypsum will just stay there anyway.”
Alistair Beales, council leader, said officers have already escalated this “up the chain” to more senior Environment Agency officials to see if there is a compromise but the EA has insisted removing the contaminants is “what we have to do.”
The council says it is now having to reconsider the scope of the project due to the “enormous” costs of removing the phosphogypsum.
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