The long-awaited last link in an important route between Riverside and Norwich city centre is a step closer after Government funding was agreed yesterday.

The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) has announced it is putting £730,000 into the fund for the construction of St Anne's Wharf bridge, designed to connect King Street with Riverside.

And a report going to Norwich City Council's executive committee this week recommends the committee to release nearly £1.7 million that it secured through developer contributions from the Riverside scheme. With a grant of £70,000 from Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP) (Growth Point funding) , this means that the full amount of money needed to deliver the bridge is now available.

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Councillor Brian Morrey, Executive Member for sustainable city development, said: "This funding announcement is fantastic news. I am pleased to see movement on this project, which has been a priority for the council for years. "Thanks to the help from EEDA, this long-awaited bridge will connect the city centre and Riverside, boost the potential for more development on King Street, and improve environmentally-friendly travel in Norwich by providing the last link in an important cycle and pedestrian route."

Gazeleys, the developers of Riverside, were obliged to provide the bridge through a section 106 agreement. Gazeleys secured planning permission in 1999 and began construction on the Riverside side of the river.

However, changes in ownership and successive abortive regeneration proposals by different developers on St Anne's Wharf meant that it was impossible to begin construction on the King Street side, so the bridge could not be finished.

The St Anne's Wharf site is now in the hands of developers City Living who have agreed to allow a link to the bridge through the site.

The bridge will help Riverside to become more connected to the city centre and will catalyse the development of other brownfield sites in King Street, including St Anne's Wharf, Mountergate and Rose Lane.

Overall responsibility for the delivery of the project lies with Norwich City Council as the council still holds the legal obligation to deliver the bridge.

(CD/JM)