Chippenham Emery Gate latest overhaul plans revealed

Earlier this year, Acorn Property Group, the owner of Emery Gate Shopping Centre in Chippenham, launched a scheme to partially redevelop the site.

On Saturday, September 14, the latest designs for the proposed changes were unveiled and Residents were urged to give their feedback before a planning application is lodged in October.

If approved, they would see the town centre site overhauled to include around 225 homes, ranging from one to three-bedroom apartments.

The retail offering at the centre would also be “reimagined” to make it a “destination of choice once again.”

This would include the provision of around 3,500sq metres of retail, food, and leisure uses with a range of unit sizes.

READ MORE: Developer issues update on future of town centre car park in latest plans

Latest plans for the regeneration of Emery Gate (Image: Acorn Property Group) It is hoped this would make Emery Gate desirable for a range of different sized businesses, and “attract people from morning through to the evening”.

Another proposal that has emerged in the most recent designs is the creation of a new street leading from the High Street through to Island Park.

A map of the proposed site shows this would run between buildings housing retail and residential facilities and would lead to a courtyard and park terrace.

The High Street frontage would also be “revitalised”.

One of the aims of the project is to integrate Emery Gate and Island Park by building pedestrian links and improving the frontage onto the park.

Acorn has previously explained the need to diversify the shopping centre’s offering for it to survive.

This comes amidst falling footfall and the loss of the biggest store at the site, following the closure of Tesco.

The proposed site (Image: Acorn Property Group) Project manager Caroline Wall said: “The regeneration of Chippenham Riverside through the transformation of Emery Gate Shopping Centre is the biggest economic investment in Chippenham in decades.

“We are incredibly grateful for the interest in our plans since going public earlier this year.

“Hundreds of people have had their say and fed into the feedback process, which has been invaluable as our plans have developed.”

She added: “At our drop-in event, we had over 300 people through the door with conversations around the proposed 225 new homes, the retention and improvement of commercial space and the enhanced links with Island Park, as well as many others.

“We're grateful to everyone for taking the time to join us and we will be taking comments into account as much as possible, as we move towards submitting our planning application next month.”