Chippenham factory plans are a 'once in a generation opportunity'

Several Chippenham town councillors registered their support for a planned state-of-the-art factory and research and design facility that Siemens Mobility plans to build at Southpoint Business Park in Chippenham.

A planning application for the development was submitted to Wiltshire Council in March and was discussed at the town council planning committee meeting on Thursday, May 9.

Multiple councillors spoke of the economic importance of Siemens remaining in the town after the decision was made to leave its current rail infrastructure site at Langley Park by 2026.

Cllr David Poole said: “I can only describe this application as a once in a generation opportunity, this is great for Chippenham.

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The planned new Siemens facility in Wiltshire (Image: Siemens Mobility)

“The applicant Siemens is obviously willing to commit £100 million of investment into Chippenham and to guarantee at least 800 to 1,000 jobs and maybe more in the future.

“I fully support the application, my emphasis is this is a really exciting opportunity for Chippenham, and we should fully get behind it and recommend approval to Wiltshire Council.”

Cllr Matthew Short added: “I fully support Siemens staying in Chippenham, it’s great.”

If approved, it is hoped that the factory, located at the business park delivered by Baylis Estates off the A350, will be operational by 2026.

The planned facility would house manufacturing, warehouse, office, and lab spaces.

While the town council has recommended Wiltshire Council does not object to the scheme, planning officers raised some issues with the plans which they believe could be improved.

These suggestions include improving the proposed infrastructure provided for cyclists and pedestrians to limit increased vehicle traffic in the area.

The town council has also requested that Siemens agrees to provide a regular minibus shuttle for staff between the site and the town centre.

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The planned Siemens facility in Wiltshire (Image: AHR)

Cllr Gemma Grimes said: “I agree with the point about the shuttle bus, which links to the issue around cycling and the amount of traffic that is going to result from the development.

“If we could strongly encourage them to create that from the station that would be great.”

Cllr Robert Giles added: “The ethos behind this application… it’s a great idea and with tinkering and getting the right application going it’s going to be brilliant.”

Wiltshire Council is due to determine the current application by Thursday, June 27, after a public consultation that has now been completed.