Melksham bypass funding loss raises concerns over Westbury route

Concerns have been raised over the future of the long-awaited Westbury bypass after the Government dropped funding for a proposed road scheme in Melksham.

The decision to remove the A350 Melksham Bypass from the Department for Transport’s Major Road Network and Large Local Majors programme has prompted renewed calls for a joined-up approach to improving the key north-south route through Wiltshire.

During an emergency debate at Wiltshire Council on Tuesday 20th October, councillors overwhelmingly backed a motion condemning the decision and demanding continued investment in the A350.

The debate also highlighted concerns about the future of the Westbury bypass, which has been discussed for decades.

Cllr Robert Smith, who represents Westbury West, warned that further delays could see potential routes blocked by new housing.

“The Westbury bypass at the moment is if we don’t build it now, it’s never going to happen because if we don’t do it now, within the next two or three years, all they’ll do is just build houses in the places where we want to put that bypass,” he told councillors.

He argued that both Melksham and Westbury needed bypasses as part of a wider strategy to improve the A350.

“I implore the council that this is something that is really really important. That not only do we move forward on the Melksham side of it, but that Westbury really needs its bypass as well as soon as,” he said.

The proposed Melksham bypass was removed from the Government’s funding programme after the Department for Transport assessed it as offering “lower overall value for money” than other projects.

Wiltshire Council’s highways cabinet member, Cllr Martin Smith, criticised the Department for Transport and warned that improvements around Chippenham risked pushing more traffic towards congestion further south.

Councillors also called for the A350 to be treated as a single strategic route through Wiltshire rather than improved in separate sections.