PLANS that could see a £75m link road built around Chippenham have been announced, in a bid to put an end to gridlock in the town.

Wiltshire Council and Chippenham Council have put in a bid for government money to build a relief road around the eastern side of the town, and say they are ‘confident’ it could be accepted.

The town will find out if the bid has been successful by December and if approved, the road could be up and running in the next six years.

The road would link the A350 at the northern and southern ends of the town and include improvement works at the J17 on the M4.

Sandie Webb, leader of Chippenham Council called the link road and infrastructure plan the ‘golden key’ to creating up to one million square foot of employment land to the east of Chippenham and see an extra 7,500 homes built by 2043.

Announcing the bid for £75m of Housing Infrastructure Funding, leader of Wiltshire Council Philip Whitehead said: “We know that Chippenham has a traffic problem, I myself used to drive through it everyday to get to work in Bristol and everyday I would get stuck in traffic. Often it is absolute gridlock. We know there is already a problem because development has already happened.

“This gives us the opportunity to do infrastructure first and before future housing developments. For once the residents will not have to suffer the consequences of new house building and then wait for the problems created to be fixed. Instead, all the infrastructure will be put in place first.

“This will alleviate the problem in the town centre that currently exists because options of travel are restrictive.”

More cycle and walkways into the town centre will be created and plans will be put in place to boost the high street and regenerate the town.

Cllr Webb of Chippenham Council said: “We have a great community spirit in the town and I know people will want to get involved and have their say about the designs of this. We want to involved residents, councillors and businesses in the whole process.

“This is £75m of development flowing into the town and will make the town centre fit for purpose. It is a Golden Key for the town.”