On this week: January 29-February 4, 2010

Here’s our regular On This Week feature…Drivers will be fearing the worst when seven months of roadworks associated with a £1.8 million improvement scheme at Lynn’s Southgates roundabout starts. The intention is to make the roundabout bigger, increase the number of lanes for traffic coming into town and provide traffic lights on the Hardwick Road and Nar Ouse Way approaches. When work is completed it is hoped it will be easier for buses, pedestrians and cyclists to negotiate the roundabout and air quality will improve with less queueing traffic. The number of incoming lanes will increase from ten to 12 with an extra lane being added on the Hardwick Road and Nar Ouse Way approaches.The future of five schools are under threat as a fresh round of consultation affecting schools around Grimston has been launched. If the controversial reorganisation plans are given the go-ahead, three all-through primary schools for five to 11-year-olds will be created on the Grimston Junior site, and first school sites in Ashwicken and Gayton. This would result in the closure of Pott Row, Ashwicken, Gayton and Church Hill first schools who teach four to eight-year-olds and Grimston Junior which has eight to 11-year-olds. Norfolk County Council is arranging a public meeting to discuss the plans.

Money was stolen from the Lloyds TSB bank branch on Bridge Street, Downham, when it was broken into. Three or four people were involved in the early morning raid and after forcing their way into the front of the bank they stole a “substantial amount” of money from the cash machines, say police. However, they would not disclose the full amount and the bank branch is currently closed. A Daihatsu 4×4 and an Audi estate were spotted on the scene.Plans for five-hour streetlight blackouts in up to 5,000 streets in West Norfolk have been approved by Norfolk council chiefs. The controversial move, aimed at cutting costs and carbon emissions, will be focused on roads not used by through traffic and in areas where crime rates are low. In the centre of Lynn, areas covered by CCTV will not be affected and the town’s Christmas lights display is also set to continue unchanged. Across the county as a whole, £167,000 a year could be saved.Lynn markets’ efforts to cut back on waste have been rewarded by the traders’ national federation – and they now have a banner to show for their hard work. The regional runners-up award in the How Green Is Your Market competition was presented to traders and borough council representatives during the weekly Tuesday market. The Tuesday Market Place was officially designated a zero waste place in 2008 with initiatives put in place to reduce the waste it produces. Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital hopes to build a new blood unit within its grounds to make life easier for patients. The trust is seeking planning permission for a new single-story phlebotomy unit in a courtyard area close to the main hospital entrance. A report to planners says: “The proposed development will allow outpatients to have their blood samples taken close to the clinic they are visiting instead of walking half-way around the hospital as they do at present.”Fakenham Town FC have appointed former Linnets midfielder Wayne Anderson as their new manager. Anderson arrives at Clipbush Park from local rivals Downham Town and will be assisted in his new position by Neil Jarvis who has been acting boss at Fakenham since early December. Anderson’s first job will be to try and transform the fortunes of the Ghosts who are bottom of the Ridgeons Division One table with only one win so far this season.A £1,000 windfall from the Government’s Grassroots grant scheme has enabled Downham’s Social Centre to raise its profile and attract more people through its doors at the Methodist Church in Paradise Road. The centre opens at 10am each weekday, serving hot drinks and snacks, and lunch is served promptly at noon. A main course is £3.50 or £4.20 for two courses, with tea and coffee included. In another unexpected boost a local businessman has pledged £500 to the centre, spread over a year. The Social Centre is a non-profit making concern and needs to serve 24 meals a day to cover costs. A Christmas Day lunch is even cooked for local folk.