Businesses in Chippenham have launched their own plans to turn their road into a one-way street.

Councillors in the town have now backed the idea of converting narrow Union Road so that traffic could only travel down the hill.

Architects at design and build firm Artel31 have produced technical drawings of what the road outside their offices could look like.

The business also owns other properties and a car park on the street, which runs between the back of the town’s railway station and busy New Road.

Director Richard Charles-Jones – who presented the plan to town councillors last night – said it would make the street safer and more attractive.

“We want it to be a more inviting place,” he said.

“It just doesn’t work at the moment and it’s not pedestrian-friendly.”

He said most of the traffic using the road drove down it, with visitors mostly the ones who turned left up the street from New Road.

The scheme has been backed by a new working party of businesses representing what has been designated the Artisan Quarter by the Chippenham Town Team partnership.

Businesses in the area – to the north of the river and centred on New Road – also want to improve signage and lighting, and replace graffiti with street art.

Mr Charles-Jones, whose firm designed the climbing centre at Westmead, said: “We have the highest proportion of independent businesses in the town. It’s an underdeveloped and underutilised backwater.”

He added: “We want Chippenham to be as lovely as it can be.”

He said the change could start with line-painting, and then develop with pavement improvements and new cycle parking.

At a town council committee meeting last night, Councillor Matthew Short said he enthusiastically backed the idea.

He said Union Road was becoming an attractive location, with the relocation of the Cousin Normans café and other environmental improvements.

“It’s really becoming a place to go, and it’s really to build on that.”

Councillor Nic Puntis said he’d like to go further with the plans.

“Why not go the whole hog and pedestrianise it? It would make it safer for everyone.”

The idea will now be put forward to Wiltshire Council’s Chippenham Local Highways and Footpaths Group, with a request that the one-way system be introduced.