Chippenham councillors debate Emery Gate centre's future

During a Chippenham Town Council meeting, councillors responded to Acorn Property Group’s consultation on proposals to transform Emery Gate Shopping Centre.

While council members agreed there was “demand for regeneration” in the town centre and “general support” amongst businesses, many remain cautious about its impact.

As well as a revamp of the commercial offering to create a “future-ready High Street”, Acorn plans to create town centre homes across several storeys.

Cllr David Poole has argued this would worsen traffic and parking issues in the town and these fears were echoed by several others.

Cllr James Bradbury added: “If you think of any town centre that is not a nice place to be, the reason for it is usually excessive traffic.

“If we invite excessive traffic to our town, we can expect that to have a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of our residents and the feel of the town centre, that’s my main concern.”

READ MORE: Emery Gate Chippenham plans could give High Street 'future'

Plans for Emery Gate (Image: Acorn Property Group)

Others believe multiple storeys of residential development would be “overwhelming” and damage the town centre’s look.

Cllr Liz Alstrom said: “Four storeys plus is not in keeping with our town centre, based on the illustration it is quite overwhelming if we have that level of intensive building.

“It’s going to start feeling very enclosed very quickly.”

Cllr Matthew Bragg added: “It’s going to be detrimental to the town having this scale of residential development, four or five storeys high, slam dunk in the middle of our High Street.”

Not all councillors were opposed to residential development in principle, provided a balance was struck.

Cllr John Scragg said: “It should be done for the benefit of the town, take into account the river, not be overcrowded, have a good balance between the two.”

Cllr Nick Murry added: “We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact we are struggling to keep town centres alive and actually to have a mix of residential in the town is no bad thing in itself.”

SEE ALSO: Traffic fears over Emery Gate Chippenham redevelopment

Plans for Emery Gate (Image: Acorn Property Group)

Despite concerns about the impact of residential development, the council recognised the need for an overhaul of the retail offering to increase footfall in the shopping centre.

Cllr Matthew Short urged Acorn to focus on replacing Tesco, which is set to close in August ahead of a move to a smaller High Street branch.

Traders he has spoken to are reportedly concerned about the impact of this closure on footfall and “worried to death” about the transition period of the development.

He said: “All the shopkeepers are really worried about the loss of Tesco because that’s the anchor store.

“How are they going to re-map the retail and leisure offering to encourage footfall into the centre, that’s something of concern.”

“The message I got loud and clear was (people want) a supermarket.”

Others believe the development may be an opportunity to create more appealing leisure areas, either in the Tesco car park or fronting the River Avon.

Plans for Emery Gate (Image: Acorn Property Group)

Cllr Declan Baseley said: “I think the developers would be wise to consider the surface level car park being retained as some kind of public square or open space.

“I think that is an opportunity to potentially have the desired outdoor space for cafes and bars, to be a bit of a sun trap and a social hub.”

Acorn emphasised the proposal is in an initial stage and the firm will work with residents and stakeholders to shape the final design.

A spokesperson said: “We have worked incredibly hard to ensure our emerging proposals reflect the aspirations of the town and its residents, aligning as closely as possible with the Chippenham One Plan and Neighbourhood Plan.

“We are excited to play a part in the future of the town.”