Politics & Council · Chippenham
Chippenham Town Council to decide on £9,000 pedestrian access scheme
By Swindon Now Editorial Team · Published
Councillors are set to vote on funding for new dropped kerbs in three residential areas of Chippenham to improve pedestrian accessibility.
Chippenham Town Council is due to meet this week to make a final decision on whether to contribute £4,500 towards a £9,000 project to install new dropped kerbs across the town. The scheme aims to improve pedestrian accessibility in three specific locations: Brook Street, Frogwell Park, and Kilvert Close.
The proposal is currently being considered by the Planning, Environment and Transport (PET) committee. The funding request originated from Wiltshire Council’s Local Highways and Footpaths Improvement Group (LHFIG), which has asked the town council to match its own funding contribution by 50 per cent.
This initiative has returned to the committee after an earlier request for the project to be processed as a substantive bid was rejected by LHFIG officers, who advised that the scheme did not meet the necessary requirements. Consequently, town councillors have been asked to reconsider the funding request based on the current financial structure.
Beyond the dropped kerb project, the committee is also reviewing two other local highway measures:
A request for £900 to cover 30 per cent of the costs for advertising new traffic waiting restrictions for the 2026/27 period.
A request to reconfirm a £3,600 contribution towards side road priority measures along Hungerdown Lane, a project that has been revised to feature coloured surfacing instead of raised crossings.
The PET committee meeting on Thursday, October 29, will determine the council's formal position on these financial commitments. Should the funding be approved, the town council's contribution to the Hungerdown Lane project would be drawn from the 2025/26 budget, ensuring no impact on the upcoming 2026/27 financial planning for the LHFIG.
Source: Gazette & Herald — Chippenham · View original