A350 confirmed as key route: investment promise or traffic nightmare?

After years of debate, the A350, which runs through Melksham, has been confirmed as the preferred route for traffic between the M4 and the south coast. But questions remain about what this decision means for the town.

The findings were published in National Highways’ M4 to Dorset Coast Connectivity Strategic Study, which was delayed from summer 2024. Wiltshire Council has welcomed the study, highlighting its potential to secure major road investment. The council has long prioritised improving north-south connectivity along the A350, with a proposed Melksham bypass remaining a key element of its transport strategy.

However, local opinion is divided. Some welcome the prospect of investment in the road network, while others fear that if the funding does not materialise, congestion will worsen significantly. Despite the A350’s new status, there is no guarantee that funding for a Melksham bypass will be secured, leaving its future uncertain.

Melksham Town councillor Graham Ellis said the report could bring ‘big local gains’ but warned that without investment, Melksham is ‘headed for gridlock.’

“Significant extra housing is being built and will be built over the next 15 years in Warminster, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham and it would put a huge pressure on the existing road network particularly in Westbury / Yarnbrook, and North Melksham / Beanacre.

“Overall, there is the potential of local benefit in trunking the A350 which could bring big local gains.  Without those improvements, and with so much growth planned in towns to the south of Melksham as well as Melksham itself, we are headed for gridlock.”

Melksham Without Parish Council chair John Glover welcomed a relief road to ease traffic on the existing A350 through Melksham, particularly in Beanacre.

“Over recent weeks we have seen the effects of road works and accidents clogging up our local roads. However, any relief road needs to take into account the impact on residents and be mitigated to the utmost,” he said.

Fellow parish councillor Mark Harris expressed both optimism and caution.

“I welcome the proposal, but note that it has yet to be adopted by the government,” he said. “If they do adopt it as part of their Road Investment Strategy – and we won’t know that until the Autumn – the probability is that National Highways will go back to the drawing board and start again from scratch, so all Wiltshire Council’s work (and expenditure) will have been for nothing.

“If National Highways do take this on – and get the necessary funding – both Melksham and Westbury may get a bypass sooner rather than later, which can only be a good thing.”

Local campaigner Phil Chipper raised concerns over costs and Wiltshire Council’s true motivations. Citing a Freedom of Information request he made to the Department for Transport, he revealed that in March 2024, the estimated cost of a Melksham bypass stood at £238 million, with Wiltshire Council needing to contribute £40 million. He warned this could escalate to £500 million within a decade.

He questioned whether the council’s primary aim was improving roads or facilitating large-scale housing developments.

“Wiltshire Council isn’t at all interested in the M4 South coast project; the only section that they will actively undertake are those around Chippenham and Melksham where there is the greatest opportunity for large scale housing projects.  If they truly were interested in the through route, then the Westbury bypass would be the first priority. The fact that it’s still unbuilt, underlines where WC’s priorities are.

“Thousands of people who live along the proposed trunk route of the A350 will have their lives significantly blighted if the plans go ahead.”

Parvis Khansari, corporate director of place at Wiltshire Council, said, “National Highways’ M4 to Dorset Coast Connectivity Strategic Study identifies the A350 corridor as the potential main strategic route for the area.

“This means that highways improvements could be made at several key points in the county, including at Westbury, Warminster, Salisbury and potentially the proposed Melksham bypass.

“However, there is a long way to go before any investment is secured to make any of these changes a reality, and any proposed road improvements would have to go through the usual business case process before they could be realised.

“We will support National Highways to move the study’s recommendations forward and develop a programme of improvements to secure further investment into Wiltshire’s highways network.”