A PLAN to build a bridge over the railway in Chippenham to serve a proposed development on Rawlings Green has been heavily criticised by plastic manufacturer Wavin.

The bridge, over the London to Bristol railway, is being proposed as an extension to Parsonage Way to serve the proposed housing development at Rawlings Green.

The housing development was part of the Chippenham Site Allocation Plan, the hearings into which were suspended by the planning inspector in November last year.

Chippenham town councillors are to discuss the application at a committee meeting today (Jan 7) at 7pm, the same day as consultation on the plans expires.

Lawyers for Wavin claim that the bridge would be partly on land owned by the Chippenham businesses and not simply by Network Rail and Wiltshire Council as stated in the application.

In their letter to Wiltshire Council, it states: “This application is premature, both in terms of the development plan and in respect of its relationship with the strategic development of which it is an integral part.”

Wavin lawyers have also raised the issue of the Chippenham Site Allocation Plan which has not yet been adopted and argue that there is contradictions in the application.

They claim that the application suggests the bridge is to provide access into Rawlings Farm to facilitate the development but also necessary to deliver one of the two critical links in the Eastern Link Road.

Unitary councillor Chris Caswill said he was concerned for residents whose roads would be used for access to the site.

He said: “I am quite sure the residents of Darcy Close and Cocklebury Road will be concerned that heavy duty lorries could be pounding up and down their roads, they have not been consulted.”

“It’s a surprising application and it’s quite clear they have not understood the current state of the Chippenham housing allocation which is rather surprising. Given that it was submitted two weeks after the inspector’s hearing we would expect them to take notice of that.”