Your views on the proposed Dereham Market Place Gold Standard Bus Stops
Feedback updated 1 Dec 2025
We asked
Norfolk County Council asked for feedback on proposed improvements to the Market Place in Dereham. The aim of the scheme is to improve how buses serve the town, including the capacity, safety and accessibility of the busy bus stops, as well as reducing congestion in the town centre area for everyone. Making it easier for people to cross over the Market Place to access shops, amenities and bus services.
You said
57% of responders liked or liked very much the BSIP objectives of improving bus journey times and reliability of services and with the majority (54%) of respondents saying the agreed or strongly agreed with our proposals.
Stakeholders including Dereham Town Council and local bus operators were in favour of the proposals.
The main objections raised were the proposed new location of the disabled bays, and the reduction of the taxi rank.
There were suggestions that we should reduce parking further, pedestrianise the Market Place and create a new bus station in a different location so the buses would not be in the market place.
A small number of people requested a widening and decluttering the pavements and to move the market to another location.
We did
Location of the disabled bays and taxi rank
Following further investigation, and considering the consultation feedback, it has been decided to amend the proposal to relocate the disabled parking bays to the south side of Church Street. This will allow the disabled bays to be improved with the addition of a hatched loading area around the parking bays.
This will also mean the taxi rank will no longer require shortening as the disabled bays have been relocated elsewhere.
Pedestrianise the Market Place
The scope of this scheme is to improve the bus stops and there is not sufficient funding to pedestrianise the Market Place at this current time.
Relocate the bus stop
It is also outside the scope of the proposals to construct a new bus stop at a separate location.
Further reduce parking
Our proposals to remove two bays from the Market Place will improve pedestrian safety, however, removing any more parking at this time may have an adverse impact on the local amenities, including the market traders, so only the changes proposed will go ahead.
Decluttering pavements/relocating the market
The proposals seek to widen and declutter the pavements in the vicinity of the Market Place where practical, however, due to the historic nature of Dereham town centre there is limited space to do so.
Moving the Market is beyond the scope of the proposal and funding.
Next steps
Work is scheduled to start in early 2026.
Overview
PBA044 - Dereham Market Place Gold Standard Bus Stops
Norfolk County Council is asking for feedback on proposed improvements to the Market Place in Dereham. The aim of the scheme is to improve how buses serve the town, including the capacity, safety and accessibility of the busy bus stops, as well as reducing congestion in the town centre area for everyone. This makes it easier for people to cross over the Market Place to access shops, amenities and bus services.
What is Being Proposed and Why
Dereham Market Place is a busy town centre with an average of 180 daily bus departures. Two-thirds of these use the southbound bus stop layby, outside NatWest & Specsavers, which currently only accommodates two buses at any one time. Frequently, additional buses arrive when the bus layby is fully occupied and are forced to stop in the road until the layby becomes free, which in turn blocks the pedestrian signal-controlled crossing as well as the entrance to the Market Place for other vehicles, leading to congestion in the area.
The northbound bus stop, outside William H Brown, lacks space for waiting passengers and people walking past. There are also no accessible crossing points from this bus stop to the other side of the Market Place, making it difficult for people to cross especially if they have pushchairs, wheelchairs or other similar mobility aids. A new zebra crossing will be provided outside the Co-Operative food store and step-free crossings provided outside the Perfect Catch Fish and Chip shop as well as from William H Brown to the new zebra crossing.
New bus shelters will be installed at both bus stops which will include electronic displays showing the upcoming live departure times for buses serving the town, making it easier for people to know when buses will be arriving and where.
This scheme aligns with Breckland District Council’s future plans for the Market Place. We have worked closely with Breckland, who have contributed financially to these upgrades, to ensure these improvements serve as a first step toward their long-term vision for the area.
Funding is being provided by the Department for Transport’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) grant. Since the start of the delivery of BSIP improvement schemes in Norfolk, bus usage has risen by 16% in Norfolk and has seen Konectbus to recently expand their services in the Dereham area providing more frequent and later bus services.
The documents below detail exactly what we’re proposing and why and the accompanying plan shows what the project could look like on the ground.
After reviewing the proposals below please answer the questions in the online survey on the following page.
What happens next
The deadline for comments is 16 September 2025 and we will carefully consider all responses ahead of advertisement of the formal Traffic Regulation Orders needed to deliver the project. This will be done in consultation with the local county council member and cabinet member, as appropriate. The webpage above will be kept up to date with the latest progress and information. If approved, delivery date is due to take place from January 2026.
The project webpage www.norfolk.gov.uk/derehammarketplace will be kept up to date with the latest progress and information.
Areas
- All Areas
Audiences
- Anyone from any background
Interests
- Environment
- Planning
- Traffic and transportation
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