A SHARP-EYED parish councillor has spotted a mismatch in plans for a new housing estate in Chippenham and a firm’s development scheme which he fears could create a treacherous junction on the new Cocklebury link road.

Councillor David Mannering spotted that plans by developer Wavin to use part of Parsonage Way as a distribution road through the middle of its site could lead to road chaos.

He fears that Wavin’s plan, combined with a scheme agreed in the Chippenham Site Allocation Plan (CSAP) to incorporate the same road and link road over the railway line as an access point to the new Rawlings Green development, could create a dangerous dogleg junction.

“Wavin wants an internal distribution road that comes onto the B4069 just north of Parsonage Way, and at the Chippenham Site Allocation Plan meeting with the examiner this was quite a big issue,” the Langley Burrell parish councillor said.

“Wavin was vociferously opposed to the CSAP plans because the link road will go straight through the middle of its site.

“These issues don’t really stack up at all, because if approved the distribution road would come out just north of Parsonage Way, meaning the link road wouldn’t actually match up.”

He fears the mismatch, which he raised at the last CSAP meeting, could create an accident blackspot.

“There is a real concern here because the link road would come out around where Parsonage Way is now and then traffic would have to go about 50 yards along the B4069 and immediately into a right filter lane just to get onto the distribution road,” he explained.

“It will be carnage,” he added. “The problems will only be exacerbated by the fact that the 650 homes at Rawlings Green will only have one exit point, and that is by Hill Corner Road onto Parsonage Way, and they will of course have to use the dangerous filter lane at some point.”

Councillor Nick Murry said: “Wiltshire Council’s controversial proposals for Rawlings Green seems to be in further confusion with planning applications being submitted  for two sections of road that don’t join up.

"Wavin’s proposals aim to avoid dissecting their site with a major road, which I’m told would seriously affect their ability to operate.

"Surely Wiltshire Council, Wavin and the North Chippenham developer ought be in dialogue to develop an acceptable way forward, yet I am told that these planning applications themselves now prevent such dialogue taking place, further undermining a potential solution. 

"The main concern has to be that Wavin’s interests are not being taken seriously by Wiltshire Council, and that this risks a substantial number of local jobs being lost should Wavin decide to pull out of Chippenham as a result.”

A spokesman from Wiltshire Council said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on any application which is still going through the planning process, however we would encourage people to have their say while the consultation is ongoing.”