The Melksham
Bypass
Unofficial Guide<
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How we got here
Please
also take a look at this site
https://a350bypass.com/
and the
'Stop the Melksham Bypass' Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2523932241180557/
If you
have any feedback, see any glaring errors, or have anything relevant to add to
this page then use the email below
Current as
of 8th April 2022
Below is from the
December 2021 release, but read on for the latest!
At the Cabinet Meeting of
Tuesday 30 November it was agreed to proceed with proposals for the A350
Melksham bypass. (HOWEVER December 2021:-) It also agreed to change
the way forward for the scheme, after considering the responses from local
councils, community groups and the public to the second consultation on the
scheme, held between 23 June and 8 August. (HOWEVER March 2022:-)! Wiltshire Council will now
defer the submission of the Outline Business Case to the DTI as they will now wait on the release of the
initial results of the 'National Highways M4 to
Dorset Connectivity Study'
and if you want to see what building a new bypass will
look like, read this
2. You can still email WC
majorhighwaysprojects@wiltshire.gov.uk
or your local councillor (see below) with your views on the proposed bypass or
the Local Plan Review
3.
Consider the beneficial and detrimental effects of the only remaining
option (10c route) from a
wider perspective - not just the affect it may have on you.
4.
Determine if YOU think it achieves:
5.
a) value for council taxpayers money (Council Tax payers will be funding
around 20% of the final bill. Either directly via budget cuts or via CIL and
Section106 money that (I feel) should be going towards improving what is already
here)
6.
b) less environmental impacts both on the actual construction (HGV
movements etc) and on the finished route (loss of quiet countryside, traffic
flow, noise, other pollution etc)
7.
Upgrading the existing A350 has now been dismissed as an option.
8.
The next public consultation (probably in July) is yet to be revealed but I
expect there will be not be a 'No Bypass' option included.
9.
Try not be be too emotive in your response; offer criticism, suggestions,
observations, perhaps something has been missed out of the consultation etc.
10.
Engage with the Council rather than attack
11.
Email your response as well as filling in the online form - more chance
of attracting attention to your comments. Email
majorhighwaysprojects@wiltshire.gov.uk
12.
Email your local councillors. List is here
https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1
13.
Email Wiltshire Council cabinet members - (the decision makers!)
https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=141
14.
Email the members of the WGSSTB Councillor Bridget Wayman is the chair.
bridget.wayman@wiltshire.gov.uk
15.
Here is the best I can find out about all the members of WGSSTB
western gateway (PDF)
16.
Email or write to Boris Johnson
boris.johnson.mp@parliament.uk
or
https://email.number10.gov.uk/
17.
Email you MP
michelle.donelan.mp@parliament.uk
(Melksham, Chippenham)
danny.kruger.mp@parliament.uk
(Devizes)
18.
Don't just send one email or online response, keep pushing your point of
view over and over again
19.
Doubtless all the above are also on Twitter, Facebook etc.
@dannykruger
@BorisJohnson
21.
https://bettertransport.org.uk/
The well known anti-road building lobby
22.
Here's what the Council for the Protection of Rural
England
have to say about it
23.
Take a look at the Wiltshire Climate Alliance
24.
No real mention of the huge increase in traffic that will occur along the
A3102 (Sandridge Hill etc) and A365 (Devizes to Melksham road). The A3102 will
feed traffic from the north into Melksham north and the town centre, past the
King George V park entrance and into Lowbourne and Calne. Just imagine that! The
A365 will also feed all traffic from any 10 bypass into Melksham south,
Bowerhill etc (all vehicle movements including HGVs going past the Oak School
will be increased dramatically. Just imagine that too!
25.
In the council's own words 'the bypass will draw in traffic from other
roads' (Quote from PDF documents accompanying the consultation) Just how is this
scenario going to whilst avoiding negative impacts on other existing or
potential residential areas.
Things to consider
1.
Although Wiltshire Council must by law give equal consideration to all
the options this does not preclude there being a favoured route,
3.
Dualling any of the existing roads is always a maybe, but as all the
proposed bypass options are expected to be single carriageway then maybe not.
4.
(This makes very interesting reading - sounds like a done deal to me!)
150m-to-be-invested-in-two-major-road-improvement-schemes-in-Wiltshire
5.
There is
a substantial feeder road being built as part of the cuurent development on the
east side of Spa Road which will run from Thyme Road (off Eastern Way) to The
Spa Road roundabout and hence to the Bowerhill roundabouts and on to the Portal
Way (A350). Looking at the feeder road layout being constructed it seems there
will be yet another roundabout from the feeder road just to the east of the
current Spa Road roundabout. It was described by Jon Hubbard during the 2018
planning process as; “the relief road”. Generally the term ‘relief road’ is
synonymous with ‘bypass’. It can be best appreciated by following this link:
6.
Spa road development map
and this is interesting too
https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/documents/s139814/1709248VARReport.pdf
7.
It means that 'if' WC select an Eastern bypass (as they now have!) when this
road is finished, they ‘only’ need to complete the link from A350 at Lacock and
bring it across to the current roundabout where Snowberry Lane meets the A3102
Calne Road, and phase 1 is done.
8.
Read this =
http://melkshamnews.com/2020/09/02/24801/
10.
The existing road from Bowerhill roundabout to Portal Way may need to be
dualled, but new estates currently being built or planned to the south of this
Western Way section together with the existing housing on the northern side
may preclude this section from any dualling, although as of June 21 there is no
construction happening on the section of this site abutting this section of the
road..
13.
If your house or property becomes the subject of a compulsory purchase
order, object to it. It must then be referred to the Secretary of State for a
decision thus delaying things. If everybody did this then it would be delay
after delay for any commencement of works.
14.
The country is running up a huge debt because of Covid and there is every
chance that when it comes to it the scheme will be refused funding.
15.
Contact your local Wiltshire Councillor and insist CIL and Section 106
funding is used to the improve existing infrastructure, not pay the WC
contribution to a (unpopular) bypass.
16.
FUNDING : Below taken from WC
Capital Budget - Transport. May 2020.
At
this stage funding options for the medium/long term Local Contributions need to
be confirmed but should include the use of CIL and S106, other options will need
to be reviewed in light of the current position and will include prioritising
existing funding to these schemes (= taking from other budgets = more cuts to
services?). The medium/long term position will be developed as part of future
Budget Setting
1.
Releasing more land for housing and business development is also a key
offshoot of these proposals. It's no secret- read this -
2000-new-homes-are-on-the-way
that the longer the bypass the more development land will be released between it
and the existing housing. Again we have serious indications in this press
release that only the Eastern routes will be 'viable' (for the release of more
green fields for concreting over.)
2.
All routes are basically to bypass Beanacre and rest of the A350 as far
as Asda. I wonder how Beanacre resident will feel when, say 5 years or so after
a bypass is completed the land between Beanacre and it is opened up for
development, after all it is conveniently close to Chippenham. Another 2000
houses edging towards their back doors instead of green fields!
3.
References to The Wilts and Berks canal project include the Melksham
Canal Link Project and the old disused canal. The original canal south towards
Melksam was filled in way back and it would not be financially viable for the
Wilts and Berks Canal Trust (WBCT) to clear it all out, so a couple of years ago
they purchased a section of land just south of Queenfield farm (see -
https://www.wbct.org.uk/mcc-projects
-) as part of the restoration of this section of the canal. It isn't exactly
clear because of the poor quality of the bypass route maps supplied by Wiltshire
Council, but as far as I can work out any of the 10c option would either cut
very close to or directly over this piece of land at Queenfield, with all the 10
options requiring another bridge over the W&B if restoration is to continue.
This canal route would have to be bridged if the project were to continue and
if this isn't already been factored in, would add would several more million £
to the bypass cost, unless of course WC decide to ignore it and squash the whole
project. I'm told by WC that the Wilts and Berks canal project will be
'accommodated' within the scheme. I wonder if this has been costed in?
Interesting PDF from the WBCT
This allows WC breathing room, in the way it did with the A350 Chippenham
bypass, which was built in sections, to mobilise for a final push from some
point on this first phase, across and behind Bowerhill to join the A350 once
again. This full route being the goal of WC, as it provides the dual benefits of
being the most direct uninterrupted route to/from Trowbridge past Melksham to
Chippenham and the M4, and opens up swathes more land to satisfy its insatiable
push for the expansion of housing, with no supporting social etc facilities, in
the north of the county. (I attribute the main text of section 5 to 7 above to
Phil Chipper, Bowerhill see link below also)