Politics & Council · Chippenham
Wiltshire Council demands government rethink on scrapped Melksham bypass
By Swindon Now Editorial Team · Published
Wiltshire Council has formally condemned the decision to withdraw funding for the Melksham bypass, highlighting severe safety concerns on the A350.
Wiltshire Council has launched a formal challenge against the government following the decision to scrap the planned Melksham bypass. Councillors overwhelmingly backed a motion during an emergency session on 20 October, condemning the withdrawal of funding for the scheme and demanding the government reconsiders its position.
The A350 has long been a focal point for safety concerns in the region. Cllr Jon Hubbard, representing Melksham South, told the council that 24 people had been killed or seriously injured on the stretch of road between Chippenham and Melksham over the last five years. He characterised the situation as a recurring tragedy, noting that the frequency of these incidents equates to a serious collision approximately every 11 weeks.
Addressing the council, Cllr Hubbard said that the statistics do not reflect the reality for those living nearby, particularly in Beanacre. He described the road as substandard, arguing that while infrastructure improvements have been prioritised around Chippenham, the needs of Melksham residents have been effectively abandoned. He stated that the government had built a funnel at Chippenham but had refused to provide the necessary bypass to handle the resulting traffic flow.
The council's motion calls on the Transport Secretary to provide development funding to allow technical, environmental, and business-case work to continue. It also seeks immediate funding for interim safety and traffic management measures to protect road users. Additionally, councillors have demanded that the government reimburses the authority for more than £500,000 already spent on developing the scrapped scheme.
Cabinet member for highways, Cllr Martin Smith, criticised the Department for Transport for a lack of joined-up thinking, suggesting that upgrades in the north of the county were funnelling traffic into unresolved bottlenecks in the south. The Conservative group leader, Richard Clewer, described the current state of national road proposals as a shambolic wreck.
While the motion was carried by 75 votes to one, some councillors expressed scepticism regarding the effectiveness of continued lobbying. Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling warned against the repetitive nature of passing motions, while Cllr Ross Henning noted that the debate has persisted for four decades, comparing the act of writing to the government to sending a message in a bottle.
The scope of the debate expanded to include other strategic road concerns in the county, with calls for a joined-up approach to the entire A350 corridor, including the long-discussed Westbury bypass and improvements to the A350 and A36 routes near Marlborough. Council officers have been tasked with exploring short, medium, and long-term options to mitigate the traffic and safety issues currently plaguing the A350 through Melksham and Beanacre.
Source: Gazette & Herald · View original