Melksham lorry park will close in months (From Wiltshire Times)

Melksham lorry park will close in months

2:00pm Friday 18th June 2010 in News By Chris Melvin

There will be no lorry park in Melksham soon, after a decision was made to close the existing one and not replace it, despite spending £18,000 of taxpayers’ money on a consultation.

At an extraordinary meeting of the Melksham Area Board at Melksham Town Hall councillors voted to close the King Street lorry park and not provide a replacement. Residents living in Spa Court have complained frequently about noise and fumes since 2008.

Wiltshire Council commissioned contractors Mouchel to investigate the suitability of the King Street site, and look at finding an alternative. Following the £18,000 consultation the Leekes car park in Beanacre Road was identified as the most suitable alternative.

But after Tuesday’s meeting it has been decided to scrap the lorry park altogether, leaving drivers to use ones in Warminster or Chippenham. The Melksham one will close within months.

Mary Howard, who lives in Spa Court, said: “We’re very pleased. It really has been a problem with the sleepless nights and whatever, so we’re all pleased it’s going to be shut down.”

Cllr Jon Hubbard, who sits on Melksham Area Board, said: “The decision is exactly what we asked for 20 months ago. The residents’ lives had been blighted.” But Cllr Hubbard questioned the decision to spend £18,000 of taxpayers’ money on the consultation to reach a conclusion he says was “blindingly obvious”.

Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport Cllr Dick Tonge defended the decision, saying: “We had to look at it seriously and look at the options.

“We had to think it through and take the options to a public meeting, which is what happened.”