CHIPPENHAM residents are set to lose valuable parking space after Wiltshire County Council has agreed to sell the New Road Car Park to the highest bidder.

Plans for housing on the site were thrown out last week by members of North Wiltshire District Council's area development control committee.

But the county council still agreed on Tuesday to place the site on the open market.

"I would not like to see housing there. We have an on-going parking problem in the local community," said Chippenham town councillor Ian Bridges.

"There is a definite need for car parking to sustain the commercial community there. It is a vibrant part of town."

Coun Bridges said many local residents were under parking pressure because of the one-way system in Park Lane and New Road, and they had requested a residents' parking scheme.

He criticised the district council for failing to buy the land.

"The decision was made to sell the land because the district council was not responsive at the appropriate time," he said. "They were given the opportunity and flatly refused to do it," he said.

"We all know the county council is short on funding, and owes it to the people to optimise the value of the land. Unfortunately the residents are caught in the middle."

But Coun Philip Allnatt, a member of the town, district and county councils, blamed the county council and said the site should have been sold to the district council at a peppercorn rate.

"The district council could pay the on-going costs of maintenance," he said. "It makes no sense to have tax payers selling it to tax payers.

"It's not true they have to sell it at the highest possible price, if the sale is made between authorities and in the public interest.

"Now it's up to the county council to decide if they want to appeal against the planning decision which would be more public money wasted. I would urge the district council to re-open negotiations with the county council with a view to acquiring the site on a peppercorn basis.

"What appalls me is that people who pay taxes will suffer in this because two councils can't work together for the common good."

The county council originally bought the site in the 1960s as part of a road improvement scheme, but it has since been used as an unofficial car park.

Coun Allnatt suggested a waiting limit be set at the car park to deter rail commuters clogging it up, with parking for shoppers in the day time and a scheme allowing residents to park at night.

The district council refused the application for residential development on the site because it was thought likely to cause extra traffic and reduce parking.