CAMPAIGNERS against the transfer of the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office to Chippenham have lost the latest round in their bid to stop the project.

They claimed the decision to allow a new record office and heritage centre to be built on the former cattle market site off Cocklebury Road, Chippenham, was seriously flawed and warned that the proximity of electrical transformers could prove a serious safety hazard.

The Wiltshire Wide Record Office Campaign referred the planning proposals to central Government in a bid to stop the project.

But now the Government Office for the South West has thrown out the appeal. A spokeswoman said it could not revoke planning permission as it had already been granted, unless it was considered grossly wrong or likely to damage the wider public interest and this was not the case.

She said letters explaining the decision not to revoke planning permission had been sent to the campaigners.

North Wiltshire District Council approved the planning application for the record office and heritage centre in January but campaigners who want to keep the facility in Trowbridge refused to give up the fight.

Campaigner David Colcomb said: "North Wiltshire environmental health officers did not even know that there were potentially explosive transformers next to the site."

John Ellis, an explosives specialist and former Army

ammunition technical officer, warned that the safety of the transformers cannot be guaranteed.

He said that the Health and Safety Executive stated that the result of a failure at a substation could be catastrophic, with tanks rupturing and burning oil. He said: "The record office entrance and car park are separated from the sub-station and its three transformers only by the access road. They have no protection from fire and blast."

John Ellis, of the Association of Council Taxpayers (South Wiltshire) also raised concerns about the impact of the office on traffic after independent consultancy Donaldson and Parkman had recommended undertaking a transport impact study when a planning application was submitted.

Mr Ellis said: "North Wiltshire District Council and Wiltshire County Council decided to ignore this, despite the fact that the Donaldson document has now been adopted as North Wiltshire District Council supplementary planning guidance and should determine planning policy."

County council leader Coun Jane Scott said it was business as usual despite the referral to the GOSW and tenders were being sought for the design and build of the new record office.

Coun Scott said officers had been asked to put together a report on any safety issues relating to the electrical sub station and she would be guided by the views of professionals. I am hoping this will not hold up the record office," she said.