Plans to turn a town centre park into a plaza suitable for hosting events all year round have come under fire.

The proposal for Island Park is part of the Chippenham One Plan - a masterplan for boosting the town centre.

At the moment the proposal is out for public consultation among Chippenham residents.

Island Park sits next to the River Avon between the town bridge and Monkton Park.

The plans are listed in the consultation document which says: “The river frontage is ugly to look at; the shopping centre turns its back on the river and industrial uses prevent people from being able to access the riverside.

“Island Park could be transformed into a landscaped pedestrian plaza which could also be a venue for markets and/or events. Shops and restaurants could front directly onto this area creating an attractive river promenade.”

But Liberal Democrat councillor for Hardenhuish Kathryn MacDermid said: “The designs have not been finalised yet however I don’t know if it will bring any good for the environment and I would be worried about the maintenance costs. Pavements deteriorate and they then have to be maintained so the council will need to address that.

“There’s a lot of maintenance that goes into pavements and they’re already taking so long to repair them at the moment. We need to look at the plan closely. I’m all for things coming to Chippenham but I don’t know if that has been thought through.

“A lot of the residents have been questioning the Island Park plans and one of my residents has spoken to some sixth formers who were sitting their and they said how much they love the grass area to sit with their friends in the sun. It’s a nice area and this would take it away.”

In response Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer said: “The Island Park is an important green space for the community and any proposals in the area would need to ensure this remains the case, in practise the ‘plaza’ areas are likely to be limited to those areas that are already paved.  

“The consultation form has a question which asks local people ‘Do you think it is a good idea to create a landscape pedestrian plaza in the Island Park area?'. No decisions have been made so if the local community feel this is not a scheme which Chippenham or its residents want then they can say so in their response.

"It is really important for local people to tell us what they think about these proposals as we are keen to start delivering those schemes which would benefit Chippenham.”