ANY changes to Chippenham’s Site Allocation Plan (CSAP) could be announced before the end of the year, after the public enquiry into the scheme ended on Tuesday.

The examination in public was re-opened last week by inspector Patrick Whitehead, who suspended the enquiry in November last year on the grounds that Wiltshire Council had not supplied enough evidence.

The CSAP will determine future development in the town up until 2026, with Wiltshire’s Core Strategy stating 5,090 homes need to be built in the Chippenham area.

One of the key points raised was the railway bridge which would need to be built to form the Cocklebury Lane link road as part of the Rawlings Green development.

Debate centred on the cost of the bridge as well as who owns the land, which local firm Wavin say is theirs.

David Manley QC, representing Wiltshire Council, said: “If Wavin wanted to establish that the disputed land was not adopted highway they have had 20 years to review that and still haven’t.

“You (Mr Whitehead) should see this for what it is, a last-minute attempt to put doubt in your mind without bringing any evidence.”

“It’s something that clearly has to be pursued outside this examination,” responded Mr Whitehead.

Only 199 homes would be allowed to be built as part of the development until the bridge is completed, with Wiltshire Council predicting a cost of just under £2million.

Another issue around the 700-home Rawlings Green development, which was approved last month to the anger of local residents, was that policy CH2 needed strengthening, according to the inspector.

“It gives context but did not give a strong policy statement to ensure that what Wiltshire Council wanted for Rawlings Green would happen,” he said.

Changes to that policy could mean a consultation for another six weeks which could potentially delay the CSAP again.

There was also discussion about the exclusion of the Eastern development and Eastern Link Road (ELR) from the CSAP. Manager of spatial planning at Wiltshire Council, Carolyn Gibson, said: “What we did conclude was that the environmental impact outweighed the benefits for doing it now.”

Closing the meeting, Mr Whitehead said: “The council have been brilliant in the way you have addressed these issues, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be favourable to you.”