A row has broken out after a Chippenham councillor said new plans to boost the town centre are ‘undemocratic’.

Under the new scheme called the Chippenham One Plan, the 1960s gate and weir on the River Avon could be replaced, a new river park is in the pipeline, historic buildings in the town would be refurbished and there are promised improvements to open spaces.

The plans are out for public consultation at the moment, so details are yet to be decided by Chippenham residents.

But Liberal Democrat councillor for Pewsham Clare Cape said she felt it had not been created democratically.

She said: ”The plan has not included local councillors who are democratically elected representatives of their community and that the balance of the stakeholder groups is tilted in favour of property owners in the centre of Chippenham.

“My thoughts would be 'let’s have a lot of people with lots of ideas in a room' but that hasn’t happened. They’ve had representation from the town council but not as inclusive as it should’ve been.

“Some options just haven’t been included in terms of the river. There’s nothing about the section of the river downstream of the weir which I think needs some improvement. It’s a tangle of weeds and becomes a quagmire in the winter. An effort there would be appropriate but isn’t included in the current options.

“There’s been a rather undemocratic process that’s led to the plan. It’s supposed to conform to the neighbourhood plan but no one from the neighbourhood plan steering group were invited to take part in developing the options.”

Cllr Dr Nick Murry, who chairs the Chippenham Neighbourhood Plan, said he was unclear about exactly what the One Plan was aiming to achieve and about the specific interests of several of its members. In a statement he said: "The Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared over several years, in consultation and cooperation with the public throughout its development.

"Its Steering Group is made up of Town Councillors and members of the Community in equal measure.

"It has a strong focus on a low carbon and climate resilient future, which came through strongly from residents, at the pre-Vision survey stage of its development.

"I would certainly hope that the Neighbourhood Plan's Vision for Chippenham, and its future-facing policies, will be respected by the Chippenham One Plan, and supported in their realisation."

Wiltshire Council leader and vice-chair of the Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board Richard Clewer said in response: “The Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board is a voluntary partnership that brings together the principal community, civic and commercial stakeholders to discuss the economic vitality of Chippenham Town Centre. The membership is limited to one representative from each organisation which includes the Leader of Chippenham Town Council.

He added: “One of the key outputs from the wider One Plan work will be a River Park Masterplan which will cover a wider area including the reach downstream.

We are keen to move forward with projects, so it’s really important for local people to comment on these proposals before the consultation closes at 5pm on June 6.”

And said: “You can’t have 30 or 40 people in a room trying to make headway on something. The board isn’t deciding anything. It’s asking the public of Chippenham what they think. We’ve kept the town council really informed.”