Uncertainty continues over Westbury bypass

Residents in Westbury face continued uncertainty over a long-awaited bypass, while a decision on a proposed Melksham scheme is expected in early summer.

The update comes after the publication of the Government’s Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), which sets out road funding priorities up to 2031.

The strategy supports the findings of the M4 to Dorset Coast Strategic Study, which recommends potential trunking of the A350, which has been viewed locally as a possible way to secure funding for bypasses.

Campaigners have long argued Westbury should be prioritised for any bypass scheme, as heavy traffic and HGVs continue to cut through the town centre.

Wiltshire Council says it received confirmation at the end of March from the Department for Transport that a decision on the A350 Melksham Bypass is expected to be announced in early summer but there is no news concerning Westbury.

Cllr Philip Harcourt, chair of Westbury Town Council’s Highways, Planning and Development Committee, said, “Once again Westbury has become the victim of short-sightedness and lack of joined-up thinking. It is unreasonable to expect Wiltshire Council to bear the entire cost of Westbury’s long-overdue bypass, and this must be a cost that central Government will contribute to.

“For too long the residents of Westbury have had to suffer from a major HGV route bisecting the town, whilst watching as other major towns in West Wiltshire affected by the A350 are lined up for their second or even third bypass. How much longer does Westbury have to continue to be treated as some sort of dumping ground for the county of Wiltshire?”

The message was supported by Cllr Carole King, chair of the council’s South Coast to M4 Strategic Route Task and Finish Group.

Cllr Martin Smith, Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said, “We will continue to work with DfT and National Highways to make the case for bypasses at Melksham and Westbury and to secure continued investment in Wiltshire’s road network.”