Future Chippenham

Context to the Future Chippenham project

Working to deliver the vision of a more sustainable Chippenham

The adopted strategic plan for Chippenham sets out a future vision for the town that meets local needs for jobs and housing while addressing some of the longstanding challenges it faces such as town centre congestion and new developments delivered in a piecemeal way. It aims for a more self-sufficient status for the town, so that the community can meet its living, work and leisure needs locally.

Employment and housing development will be highly sustainable and balanced, with early delivery of key infrastructure and key services to support growth. There is a goal to encourage young people to choose to stay and both live and work in the town because of the employment opportunities, access to housing and other available facilities.

The Core Strategy provides a spatial expression of the Wiltshire Community Plan 2011-2026: People, places and promises, and will be focused on delivering the three overarching priorities:

creating an economy that is fit for the future
reducing disadvantage and inequalities
tackling the causes and effects of climate change

This is currently being explored in the review of the emerging Local Plan by the council as Local Planning Authority, which is the subject of a separate consultation.

Why new growth? - important context to the proposed new road

People are living longer, the population is growing and family size is reducing. All of this produces demand for new homes. There is a national requirement to deliver houses to meet local needs. If we do not plan for them they will be built anyway, but we, as a community, will lose control of the process. That means we will lose the opportunity to control where they may go, on the infrastructure needed to support them, the levels of affordable housing for local people, the design and community benefits.

Previous assessments of Chippenham have highlighted significant challenges for the town in meeting its needs with heavy investment needed in new roads to relieve the volume of through traffic.

About the project

While there is a recognised need to deliver new housing at Chippenham, there is a current lack of road infrastructure which acts as a major hurdle in bringing forward the homes needed to meet future needs in a sustainable way. This was concluded by both the Inspector into the Chippenham Sites Allocations Plan and reflected in the published evidence of the Local Plan review. Both concluded that a connection from the A4 and the A350 is essential to the long-term growth of the town. Without the delivery of improvements to the town's transport infrastructure, there is a real risk that future development around Chippenham could result in significant traffic congestion in and around the town centre, exacerbating rather than resolving traffic problems.

In March 2019, Wiltshire Council submitted a bid to the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) from Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government. In November 2019, Wiltshire Council was successful in the award of a grant of £75 million.

The grant ensures funding is available to contribute towards the cost of delivering the strategic infrastructure in and around Chippenham to support the potential longer-term growth of the area, should development come forward.

On 13 October 2020, the council's Cabinet agreed to enter into a Grant Determination Agreement (GDA), with Homes England to secure the funding. This means the grant can only be used for certain activities and the council has to meet certain conditions. The GDA enables the council to recover the £75 million grant to reinvest into the delivery of the scheme, with any remaining recovered funds being invested into infrastructure to support the delivery of additional housing within Wiltshire.

Responses received from members of the public and key stakeholders following the public consultation in January - March 2021 on the Future Chippenham road route options have been reviewed, along with a review of updated information relating to land viability, updated environmental surveys and ongoing discussions with statutory stakeholders. As a result of this review, Wiltshire Council's Cabinet has approved that discussions should commence with Homes England on a revised scheme to deliver the Southern section from the A4 to the A350. Further details can be found in the report that was presented to Cabinet on Wednesday 21 July 2021. Agenda for Cabinet on Wednesday 21 July 2021, 10am Wiltshire Council (opens new window).

Discussions with Homes England regarding the revised approach to the delivery of the road have commenced. This revised approach seeks to address the concerns raised regarding the scale of the site, while continuing to deliver to a multitude of benefits for Chippenham.

A round of stakeholder and public engagement will be held in Autumn/Winter 2021 to help inform the development of a Vision for Future Chippenham. Visioning workshops have been held with key stakeholders and public pop-up events are being held around Chippenham. A schools' programme is also being carried out with local secondary schools. All the feedback received will help shape the vision for the Future Chippenham and will feed into the development of a Framework Masterplan for Future Chippenham which will be consulted on early in 2022.

Potential benefits of the project

Strategic objectives

unlocking land to support delivery of up to 7,500 homes up to 40% of which will be affordable, specifically planned to meet local needs including first time buyers so essential to the local economy
improving the viability and vitality of the town by providing homes and jobs to provide increased local customers for businesses and services
transforming the town's housing offer
ensuring that economic development and regeneration is delivered in step with the homes to increase the self-containment of the town
providing much better connectivity and help to reduce congestion in the town centre

Economic objectives

enabling economic development along the strategic M4 corridor
improving access to training and employment opportunities
enabling placemaking as part of the master planning process

Transport objectives

providing an improved corridor for the movement of people and goods
reducing town centre traffic congestion, providing opportunities to improve reliability of transport
enhancing transport resilience in Wiltshire by providing connectivity to the M4 Junction 17 and A350

Environmental objectives

minimising the impact on the quality of the environment
improving accessibility for non-car users through promotion of sustainable forms of transport
through infrastructure led delivery seek opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of the road and scheme

Project milestones

The project milestones infographic is being updated and will be available to view in due course.

Project progress

Autumn / Winter 2021

Stakeholder Vision Workshops
Public pop-up events and drop-in sessions

Spring/Summer 2021

Announcement of change in scope for Future Chippenham project, reflecting development south of the A4 only.
Announcement of recommended preferred road route option.
Future Chippenham distributor road route options Consultation Feedback Report published.
Ecology surveys ongoing.
Flood risk assessment progressing.
Environmental Impact Assessment screening and scoping started.
Traffic Assessment being updated with further traffic data.
Ongoing discussions with statutory stakeholders and landowners.

Winter 2020/2021

Public consultation on Future Chippenham road route options.
Ongoing discussions with statutory stakeholders and landowners.
Submission of representations to the council's consultation on the Local Plan review.
Early Market Engagement with potential road contractors.
Early Market Engagement with potential joint venture partners

Autumn 2020

Finalised grant funding agreement with Homes England - December
Cabinet agreed to enter into a Grant Determination Agreement to secure £75 million funding - October
Stakeholder and Engagement Strategy approved - October
Strategic transport modelling discussions
Continued environmental/ecology investigation and surveys

Spring/Summer 2020

Environmental investigation and surveys - landscape summer surveys completed
Work to support the Environmental Impact Assessment across the whole site
Draft sustainability strategy for the delivery of strategic infrastructure works
Options assessment report for infrastructure works carried out
Completion of strategic flood modelling and flood mitigation plan
Draft Concept Framework for the site including strategic infrastructure works, utilities, parks and road bridges
Development of a procurement strategy to support delivery of the infrastructure works

2019

Six public engagement events - November/December
Housing Infrastructure Fund grant of £75 million awarded - November
Housing Infrastructure Fund bid submission - March

Public engagement/consultation

Chippenham stakeholder and community engagement strategy

The Future Chippenham Stakeholder and Community Engagement Strategy (PDF) [390KB] (opens new window) sets out our approach for engaging and consulting with all those with a possible interest in Future Chippenham.

Future Chippenham newsletter

To keep up to date on the progress of the Future Chippenham project, we will soon be launching a new Future Chippenham newsletter. You can sign up to receive this newsletter direct to your inbox.

Subscribe to newsletter (opens new window)

Housing Infrastructure Fund bid

You can view a copy of the council's bid to Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government in March 2019 for £75 million funding.

Bid - final submitted business case (PDF) [15MB] (opens new window)

News releases

Cabinet reports

Reports providing updates on the progress being made on the project are regularly presented to Cabinet and these reports and the minutes of the meetings are available on our website:

As Wiltshire Council owns the land it proposes to build on, will you still need planning permission?

Yes, as landowner, the council will have to ensure it complies with all planning regulations. The council will be required to submit an outline planning application for land in the council's ownership. When the project's planning applications are submitted the Council, as Local Planning Authority, will consider these as they would any other planning application.

Where will the proposed new distributor road be situated?

The road will be routed to the south and east of Chippenham, from the A350 Lackham roundabout in the south, across the A4, to the A350 at the Malmesbury roundabout. A public consultation on the road route options was held between Friday 15 January and Friday 12 March 2021. It is anticipated that the preferred route will be presented to the public in Summer 2021.

Will the residents affected by the proposed new road and development be able to give their comments on your proposals?

Yes, views from local residents are very important. Feedback received during the recent consultation process will help inform the overall project and a decision about which of the three route options within each zone should be taken forward to the next stage of the development process. There will be further opportunities to comment on the proposals as the Future Chippenham programme progresses.

When will work start on the road?

Any new road will only be built if planning is granted for development to proceed. If planning permission is granted for the road work will begin. We anticipate this could be in early 2023.

More houses being built will put more pressure on our local health services, has this been taken into consideration?

A development of this site is likely to require additional and potential enhancement to existing healthcare services, depending on the scale of the development. An assessment of the local need for essential healthcare services and infrastructure will be carried out as part of the Local Plan, and will inform the policy requirements for this site, if it is allocated.

As part of the master planning for this site, the council will engage with its partners to ensure that the identified level of need can be met through the development

Will there be a new school built for the new housing development?

The Future Chippenham programme could support development of up to 7,500 homes for Chippenham. This is likely to generate a need for new primary and secondary school places. An assessment of local educational need will be carried out as part of the Local Plan Review and will inform the policy requirements for this site, if it is allocated. Development of the site will cater for identified levels of need, and new schools will be built to support the projected demand. Infrastructure to support development will be a key consideration in planning new development.

7,500 is a lot of new houses to be built, will it be one big housing estate?

No, the vision for Future Chippenham is to create a new model of development, ground breaking in its approach providing residents and visitors with a place to live and work, reflective and understanding of the history and beauty of the surrounding built and natural environment. It is envisaged that there will be two sustainable neighbourhood centres at the heart of the development.

It is important to note that the planning process determines the nature of development. The HIF funding enables future development to be infrastructure led and appropriately planned via a masterplan. The actual development will be determined by landowners and developers through the planning process.

Will there be a mix of affordable houses?

Yes, there will. The scheme will comply with affordable housing policy.

How will the new development connect with the rest of Chippenham?

A key issue identified in the Chippenham Transport Strategy is the need to maintain the functions of the three primary roads in the town, A4, A350 and A420 as well as connecting roads, which all currently experience congestion at peak periods. The proposed new distributor road will help reduce pressure of traffic on the town centre and improve accessibility.

In addition, the Future Chippenham project aims to provide a comprehensive package of sustainable transport measures, including a strategic network of cycle routes.

What about our landscape and countryside?

The scale of the development and the growth of the town enables us to take a strategic approach to the provision of landscape and green infrastructure which will deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for the whole town. The landscape itself could act as one of the main connecting elements and focuses of the planned expansion.

How does this development help with the environmental challenges we face?

By leading with the right infrastructure and the scale of this development, Future Chippenham aims to meet the challenges the council faces through the development itself, where we can.

Good examples of this are:

providing green corridors and streets
promotion of active travel through strategic cycle network
climate responsive urban design
water sensitive urban design
waste reduction
delivering a biodiversity net gain from the development

Will the planned new road increase congestion?

No, the transport modelling used to support the HIF bid and additional modelling currently being carried out has identified improvements in congestion to existing road traffic.

Will the new road cause Chippenham and other towns nearby to be at greater risk of flooding?

A comprehensive flood risk modelling investigation has been carried out to inform the design of the road route options and other supporting infrastructure. These will provide adequate mitigation against flood risk.

Will the Future Chippenham development be the size of somewhere like Calne?

The Future Chippenham development could provide up to 7,500 houses by 2046 on a phased approach.This is someway short of a new town but does provide a good steady and planned growth to Chippenham.

Will the development destroy unspoiled river landscapes and their public amenity value?

If the Local Plan allocates the east of Chippenham, then the Future Chippenham project will develop detailed plans to demonstrate how the area may be developed in a way that safeguards and where possible enhances the existing green and blue infrastructure.

Will the development be 'urban sprawl'?

Wiltshire has a requirement to provide c45,000 houses up to 2036 and needs to address this. The council is adopting a planned and phased approach to this. By seeking to develop a 'garden village' the council is using the natural assets of the site to enhance the communities.

Will the road and development add 12,000+ vehicles on the roads?

Development will take place over a 20-year period. The increase in traffic will be gradual and the use of vehicles over this time is likely to change.

Contact us

If you have any queries regarding this project, please email futurechippenham@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

We aim to respond within 10 working days.

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