Cattle market site first choice for record office

Wiltshire County Council's Cabinet did a U-turn on Friday and made Chippenham rather than Devizes as its first choice for the relocation of the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office, currently based in Trowbridge.

Sandie Webb, former mayor and leader of Chippenham Town Council, said the news was the best the town had received in a while.

"This is excellent, fantastic," she said. "It brings a lot of kudos and economic and tourism development potential.

"Research into family history is a growing industry and I understand that 60 per cent of those who use the county record office come from outside the county and will be using Chippenham as a base."

"It will be in close proximity to Wiltshire College Chippenham which I understand runs a successful heritage course. This is fabulous."

The Cabinet meeting looked at two options. It either had to proceed with a heritage centre on the former gas storage site at the Wharf in Devizes, or look at an alternative site in Chippenham.

Council leader Peter Chalke said the move away from a heritage centre partnership with the Royal Photographic Society at Devizes Wharfside was a great opportunity lost.

"The Heritage Lottery Funding criteria has now changed," he said.

"Swindon wants to support a bid for Swindon and Chippenham only, and other things have frustrated this project. Now we will have to go forward with our second option and look at Chippenham."

The Cabinet was told the Heritage Lottery Fund had changed the criteria it uses to judge proposals for funding. Proximity to other heritage sites is now less important, while ease of access and links with education have been given greater weight.

North Wiltshire district councillor Doreen Darby said she was delighted to vote for Chippenham and said the town had all the right ingredients for a successful bid.

She said: "This is the best compromise. Nothing has really gone forward on the current plan. North Wiltshire District Council is the owner of an excellent site, opposite Wiltshire College, which could be made available.

"The town has excellent transport links. The site is two minutes away from the rail station, near major roads and close the town centre bus and coach centre, which is important as 60 per cent of visitors to the record office are from outside Wiltshire." Coun Philip Allnatt said the move would mean a positive redevelopment of the livestock market.

He said: "This will be a clean development, not industrial and not housing and not another shopping precinct.

"It will bring jobs and vitality to the town. It is excellent news from Chippenham's point of view."

Councillors acknowledged concerns about access to the town from the south of the county, but agreed that with the main railway line, the M4, A4, A350 and good coach and bus services, that access generally was good.

The Cabinet is to recommend that the full county council adopt the cattle market as the preferred site and Devizes as the second choice.

Coun Toby Sturgis said the move would be very exciting for the north Wiltshire town and saw it as an opportunity not to be missed.

He said: "There is so much potential with the Cocklebury Road site. Chippenham is very accessible and with the proposed rail improvements between the south and the north of the county it is ideal.

"I am concerned that the goal posts have changed and have not been clearly defined but this is an exciting project for the town.

Jane Scott, North Wiltshire district councillor and member of the county council's Cabinet, said she thought Chippenham was an ideal compromise and she looked forward to seeing such an exciting project progress.

The full council will discuss the scheme on May 14.

Coun Chalke said: "The council has to be practical. It has to protect the county's heritage and it has to ensure that the collection is not split up."