Council’s transport schemes doesn’t include Melksham

WILTSHIRE Council leaders have shortlisted ten potential major transport schemes but two Melksham schemes have fallen by the wayside.

Originally 70 schemes were proposed for the county, including two for Melksham: improvements to signalling at the railway station and a transport package that would see improvements to the walking and cycling network as well as improvements to the roads and public transport.

But the Melksham schemes have lost out.

The ten schemes chosen from the original 70 are; A350 Chippenham Bypass Duelling, A350 North of Chippenham Duelling, A350 West Ashton Relief Road, A350 Yarnbrook Relief Road, A36 Southampton Road Improvement, Corsham Station, M4 Junction 16 improvements, Royal Wootton Bassett Station, Westbury additional platform and Wilton Station.

The list will now be taken to the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Transport Body (SWLTB) which has to approve a provisional prioritised list by the end of July. Swindon Borough Council will also provide a list of ten potential schemes to the SWLTB.

The prioritised list will then be forwarded to the Department for Transport which will chose three or four to be part of a four-year programme of works due to begin in 2015.

Approximately £16.9m of Government funding will be available for the chosen schemes, although this figure could change.

Terry Chivers, Wiltshire Councillor for Melksham Without North was disappointed with the ten listed. he said, “I’m amazed to learn that the duelling of the A350 around Chippenham is a major priority for Wiltshire Council.

“Yes I’m in favour of upgrading this important route between Chippenham and Poole but you have to get your priorities right. We are looking to upgrade an area of Chippenham that has already been bypassed, when we have villages like the small community of Beanacre that are suffering over 188,000 vehicles passing through the village every week.”

Fleur de Rhe-Philipe cabinet member for transport at Wiltshire Council said, “This is all about local decisions being made locally and this is the next stage in a process that we hope will make key improvements to our county in the coming years.”