Wiltshire Council has selected the A350 in Chippenham and projects in West Wiltshire to be put on a shortlist for Government funding.

The ‘wish list’ of ten schemes, which was approved by Wiltshire Council’s cabinet on Tuesday, also includes building railway stations at Corsham and Royal Wootton Bassett.

However, the Government money available – about £16.9million – will also be for major transport schemes in Swindon and throughout Wiltshire, so it is likely that the two councils will only be able to select two schemes each when a final selection is made in July.

Wiltshire Council officers identified 70 schemes which was reduced to 17 using a cost and revenue criteria. It was then cut to ten, based on criteria including the contribution they would have on economic growth.

The ten schemes are: dualling the A350 Chippenham bypass by designating a lane for HGVs; dualling the A350 north of Chippenham by widening between Jackson’s Lane and the Badger roundabout; improvements to the A350 West Ashton Relief Road; A350 Yarnbrook Relief Road, creating a new single carriageway road between the A363 and A350; improvements to the A36 at Salisbury; building a railway station at Corsham with two platforms; new roundabout lanes and additional lanes on the slip roads at J16 of the M4 at West Swindon and near Royal Wootton Bassett; building a railway station at Royal Wootton Bassett with two platforms; an extra platform at Westbury Railway Station and building a station at Wilton.

No schemes in East Wiltshire, including a bypass for Devizes and a railway station for Marlborough, made the top ten.

Coun Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, Cabinet member for transport, said: “The A350 and M4 schemes have been shortlisted because that is where the vast majority of economic activity is.”

Rail campaigner Peter Davis said: “It’s good news to hear that Wiltshire Council is putting so much support behind the project and treating it as a priority.

“I’m old enough to remember when Corsham had a station. I used to go to school on the train to Bath every day and when I left school and worked in Bath I used the train to go to work.”