THE Bluebirds’ bid to acquire a section of land next to the football club for additional parking is starting to gather momentum after more than 600 people gathered to watch their first home game in the National South League.

Chippenham Town Football Club, which started this season with a bang, drawing their first game against Havant and Waterloo and winning 5-2 in their derby against Bath City, believe increased gate numbers and the pressure on the surrounding roads provide the perfect example of why their Community Asset Transfer plans for the Donkey Fields should be approved.

Chairman Neil Blackmore said: “The fans at the home game on Saturday were using the car park and people were also parking alongside Bristol Road and the surrounding area and that is exactly why we want to turn that six foot high wall of brambles and nettles into a car park and put it to good use.

“We are lucky in that Bristol Road is a nice wide road but we have got good feedback about the plans from the people who live there and elsewhere and part of the process of applying for a CAT was to hold an open evening and we had six dog walkers.

“One man asked me where he was going to walk his dog, but he’s not able to walk it through all those brambles and he doesn’t live in the Bristol Road area either.”

Last week Adam Jarvis, of Park Avenue, wrote to the Gazette in support of the plans that would help solve the parking issue.

He said: “At last extra parking at Chippenham Town Football Club, which is long overdue, may be happening.

“We are told that with some matches the gates are likely to treble.

“For years those of us who live in either Bristol Road, Hardenhuish Avenue, Park Avenue or Woodlands, have had traffic problems at weekends. This parking problem needs to be solved sooner rather than later.”