People urged to have say on Chippenham bypass plan

The council is to hold pop-up events over the next two weeks following a mixed reaction to the grant from the government's Housing Infrastructure Fund.

On Saturday a stand was held at the Enchanted Christmas light switch-on in Chippenham and will be followed by others at the train station, Morrisons and Sainsburys.

They are:

• Chippenham Library, November 25 and 26, 10am - 1pm

• Chippenham Train Station, November 28, 3.30pm - 5.30pm

• Sainsburys, Bath Road, Chippenham, SN14 0BJ, December 2, 10am - 12noon

• Morrisons, Cepen Park North, Chippenham, SN14 6UZ, December 2, 1pm - 3pm

Cllr Philip Whitehead, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “Only those that live, work and play in Chippenham know what the town does well and where it can be improved.

It’s those people we want to engage, to ensure that we understand what is really needed and wanted, before we get down to too many specifics.

"The money from HIF will enable us to build a road to bring long-overdue relief from Chippenham’s severe traffic congestion problems.

"The road opens up land for new employment and housing development potential which provides funding for us to deliver other improvements in the town centre and beyond. It also provides development in a consistent, strategic way and support the potential for long-term, sustainable growth for the town. What we really want is to make sure we get this development right from the start and hearing what residents think is vital in achieving that goal

“We have many reasons to be proud of Chippenham and this fund and its potential associated enhancements will only serve to bring better services, leisure facilities and further economic growth to the town."

The development land unlocked by the HIF funded road could lead to 7,500 new homes in Chippenham plus at least 1 million sq ft of new commercial space and associated social and community facilities, over the next 25 plus years.