Wiltshire Council gives update on Melksham East Relief Road

Following criticism from a fellow councillor who described the ongoing issue as a "betrayal of trust”, the relevant cabinet member, Cllr Nick Holder, has provided the council's explanation for the delays.

He has said the road will be open “before the end of the year” and added that the nearby footpath to Melksham Oak School would be completed in Spring 2025.

This comes after Cllr Jon Hubbard said the relief road delay was a "shameful reversal" of previous assurances given to residents, who expected it to open once BT’s work was completed.

READ MORE: Row over delays in opening the Melksham East Relief Road

Cllr Jon Hubbard is frustrated that the Melksham East Relief Road has yet to open. (Image: Jon Hubbard)Cllr Holder has now explained that one of the major setbacks in progress was the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) delay.

When planning new roads or modifying existing ones, a TRO is necessary if changes to traffic regulations are required, but it needs to be fully implemented, including any required physical work, within 24 months of first being advertised.

Cllr Holder explained that this is why the TRO was not advertised years ago when the plans for the road were first announced.

He added that the delays to BT’s work contributed further to the wait for TRO advertising, but that officers also had to spend “a significant amount of time” getting the crossing to the rear of Melksham Oak School incorporated into the planning agreements.

Cllr Holder stated that a “balanced decision” was made to prioritise the safety concerns of sorting out the crossing “to help kids get to school ahead of issuing the TRO”.

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He said: “What I do accept is we probably should have told Cllr Hubbard and the residents why that delay was taking place, so that absolutely is something that we didn't handle very well.

“But I think the technical reasons for the delay we can justify, and I would support the reasons for those.”

Cllr Holder added: “I'm satisfied that the right decisions were made, but we probably should have communicated it better.”

He said that communicating planning technicalities to residents and councillors can be difficult, but stated: “Opening up a road safely, with safety audits, with appropriate signage, with appropriate pedestrian crossings, has to be of paramount importance.”

When asked about the delays to the nearby footpath to Melksham Oak School, Cllr Holder acknowledged there was no doubt it had been “a long-winded process”.

However, he claimed that under previous “leadership challenges” at the school, there was “a significant amount of negativity” towards the plans for the path.

According to Cllr Holder, because of this “lack of enthusiasm”, council officers “did not prioritise putting a scheme together”.

He described the new head of the school as “really keen to engage”, and the school has confirmed that the leadership “is really keen to work collaboratively with the council, supporting the needs of the local community”.

Despite this, Cllr Holder explained that it had since become apparent that the initial funding set aside for the path was no longer sufficient, which meant that the council had to go through the process of finding money from commuted sums.

Eventually, planning permission for the path was granted in May.

Cllr Holder said: “So we are now going to start building the footpath. It is really late; I'm really frustrated by it. I was frustrated by it when I was a school governor.

“I've tried to explain the reasons behind it, but there is now a full scheme, a fully costed scheme.”

He concluded that residents “quite rightly, should be annoyed, upset and disappointed it has taken so long”, but that the council had done all it could within imposed planning conditions and financial challenges.

Cllr Holder added that he is continuing his campaign to get the speed limit outside the school reduced at peak times and that he is hopeful this will progress further in 2025.