From The Files

CHIPPENHAM: The apparent lack of any long-term planning on relief roads for the centre of Chippenham is regarded by Mr Eric Hughes as an example of what he described at Tuesday's borough council meeting as a "dead hand over Chippenham". Mr Hughes moved that the county council should be requested to give a firm indication as to when the planned relief roads would be constructed. This motion was seconded by Mr A Marshal and was referred to the planning committee. Mr Hughes cited several examples of plans for the town which had come to nothing. The proposed library had been for years an on-off on-off business. Housing schemes had been planned but then shelved because of lack of water or lack of sewage facilities. But mainly Mr Hughes felt that recent lack of progress in the town had been due to the lack of relief roads in the centre of Chippenham. Traders in the New Road and High Street areas of the town deserved medals for the traffic difficulties they had to undergo. In the Cocklebury Road area there was only one access road to a college, the station, a housing estate and the cattle market. Mr Hughes expressed alarm at the chaos which would be caused in the event of a fire or serious accident in this part of town. The plans for relief roads seemed to have got no further than "little lines" on the town map.

WILTHIRE: Fire sirens in Wiltshire may soon become a memory - and how grateful will be members of the public who are disturbed by the rather dismal wailing of this method of alerting retained firemen. The firemen are to get pocket alerters which will be operated by radio. Thus the families of fireman will not be disturbed by the ringing of bells in their homes at night. Wiltshire's chief fire officer, Mr William Chadwick, in a report to the county finance committee, said the alerter system will cost about £5,000 a year. The Home Office had been seeking an alternative to the siren for summoning retained fireman, and this had resulted in the introduction of "pocket alerters" for Wiltshire.

July 13, 1990

BRADFORD ON AVON: There was a cool response from Melksham Town Council general purposes committee on Monday when West Wilts District Council marketing and tourism officer Mr David Shuker asked how the town would feel about taking over the Assembly Hall from the district council.

Mr Shuker explained that a district councillor had suggested that reassignment of the district's five public halls back to the towns were they are situated should be considered because of managing costs. Each town council is being sounded out but he admitted that so far the feeling among towns is that an attempt is being made to foist the halls on them. "Have the halls ever made a profit?" asked Mr O'Gorman. "I am sure they have not, otherwise they would not be offered us us. We would be taking on a white elephant." "As a businessman, it seems like commercial suicide to me," warned Mr Don Hurst. "But I will reserve judgement until I see the figures." Mr Taylor, who is also a district councillor, commented: "the councillor who raised this question probably did not realise the full implications."

July 8, 2005

WESTBURY: News that Westbury police station has been closed to the public has sparked fears other stations could have their opening hours cut, at a time when job violence is on the increase. Senior Wiltshire police officers have said the closure at Westbury, officially a temporary move, caused by a 'structural reorganisation' had led them to look at the opening hours of stations across west and north Wiltshire. Civic leaders have vowed to fight any reduction in opening hours, saying people need to be able to use their town police stations. Sergeant Jim Stannard, of Westbury police, said he was concerned about the closure and that alcohol-fuelled job violence was becoming a problem, with a spate of assaults and criminal damage in the town. Westbury mayor Mike Hawkins said he was concerned the closure would not be temporary. "There have been recent problems with young people in the town. If residents want to report an incident where will they go? The 16,000 residents of Westbury should have access to a police office."