The Gazette and Herald has reported that proposals for a £75 million ring road around Chippenham have been discussed at a top level Wiltshire Council meeting, with councillors responding to queries from members of the public. The proposals have met with some backlash, however, with the Council having declared an climate emergency and plans to go carbon neutral by 2030.
The meeting follows the announcement in September that Wiltshire Council has bid for £75 million of infrastructure funding from the government to support the long-term growth of Chippenham.
The council's website reported [http://wiltshire.gov.uk/news/articles/bid-for-75m-...]:
"If successful, the funding will be used to build a new road to the east and south of Chippenham, linking the A350 at the northern and southern ends of the town, as well as carrying out specific improvement works at J17 on the M4.
"People who live or travel through Chippenham are aware of the severe congestion that can take place every day, and this investment will help alleviate that and provide additional road capacity for Chippenham in the future.
"A consequence of this will be the unlocking of development land that could deliver up to 7,500 new homes in Chippenham and 1 million sq ft of commercial space over the next 25 years without causing additional infrastructure problems. This increase in housing for Chippenham has been identified as one of the options being considered as part of the Local Plan review.
"The feedback from recent public consultation events held in Chippenham showed that residents wanted the town to have the right infrastructure in place, including improved transport links such as the proposed new road, prior to any additional development taking place in and around the town centre.
"Wiltshire Council and Chippenham Town Council have looked at ways to address these concerns, which includes the submission of this £75 million bid for infrastructure to Government which has been supported by Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership. If successful, this will enable both councils to deliver benefits to the local community in advance of any potential new housing developments taking place.
"Further and additional benefits will include investment in Chippenham town centre and new facilities such as schools, health, open space, improved connectivity, including cycling and walking routes, and additional road capacity to meet the increasing levels of traffic using them both now and in the future."
More information regarding the bid is expected in December.