A DECISION on the Future Chippenham project has been deferred by a High Court judge. 

Wiltshire Council has been defending a challenge against the programme, a proposed residential development to the south of the town, in a hearing today (Thursday, May 26). 

As part of the Future Chippenham project, Wiltshire Council wants to build a distributor road in the south of the town, as well as around 4,200 houses. 

Its detractors say the council has ignored the results of its own consultation, and that: "It is driven by an outdated ideology to build unnecessary highways and commuter executive homes on precious green fields".

A judge granted permission earlier this year to begin the process for a legal review into the proceedings surrounding the project.

After hearing arguments from both parties involved, the High Court Judge announced he would reserve his decision and indicated he hoped to get the decision out in around three weeks’ time.

Court documents were originally served on the council on October 20 on the grounds that the public should not have been excluded from part of the Cabinet meeting on July 21, 2021, that the council said that it would consult on the Concept Framework proposals and didn’t, and that the council failed to consult in a meaningful way on the final, abridged route to the south.

Councillor Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “The council has robustly defended its position; we are pleased that the Judge has now had the opportunity to hear our arguments and we now await the Judge’s ruling on this matter.”