Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council are currently in the middle of moving various heritage services from around the county (mainly Trowbridge) topurpose-built facilities in Chippenham which will open some time after October 2007 as Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. These services include the record office (archives), archaeology, museums service conservation (moved from Salisbury) and local studies library.
It is claimed that the new facilities will increase access to heritage collections and services for members of the public. However, have the planners thought about transport issues? To try and reach Chippenham from most of Wiltshire is a trial. There are few adequate bus services and a woeful, mistimed rail service on the TransWilts line which means that you have to add almost an hour to your journey to travel, say, from Salisbury to Chippenham (change at Bath) on the train (previously it was direct to Trowbridge). This is the letter I wrote to Salisbury Journal in response to the story of the new History Centre:
Dear Postbag,
I was very excited to read about the developments to move Wiltshire’s
archives to a new purpose-built centre in Chippenham (Journal, 31 May,
p. 5).However, do those involved with this project realise how difficult it
is going to be to reach the centre from the south of the county by
public transport? Since First Great Western slashed services on the
TransWilts line (Salisbury-Swindon via Melksham) last December, you
have to now leave the county (change at Bath) and re-enter it, adding
more than 45 minutes to a journey which should take about 55 minutes.
There is currently one direct train a day from Salisbury to Chippenham
timed at 19.05, arriving 20.00!I have written to First Great Western and Wiltshire County Council
about the poor service on the line and its implications, especially in
view of the current Unitary Bid and increasing traffic problems when
crossing the county. Unsatisfactory replies were given by both. Many
people who use services such as record offices want to travel by
public transport and so it is very disappointing that Wiltshire have
not been more joined-up in their thinking about the location of its
services and the access issues therein.
It shouldn’t surprise me, but it still does, that yet again public transport is not considered when a service is moved from one place to another ‘for the benefit of the public’.
Yet again, people who want to use public transport are second-class citizens.
This comment, a little late in the day, adds to those above about transport and some facts about this lunatic decentralisation of an important County service to inaccessible Chippenham.
As a strong and active objector to the move of the Record Office from the superior accessibility of the County town, I can assure everyone that transport, especially from Salisbury, where I reside, was very strongly represented during the consultation exercise. The Leader of the Council when the project as mooted said a new bus service could be arranged. That was a ridiculous response because it would have been uneconomic and dependant upon appreciable subsidy.
Typical of the irresponsible way that the project was conducted the comparisons with other possible locations was skewed in Chippenhams favour as were other important factors. The determination of the subsequent and current Council Leader to bag this facility for her home District was little short of dishonest.
She was warned that the Lottery grant of around 50% of the cost would not be forthcoming if the Chippenham site was selected was misinterpreted by her officers and ignored when it was drawn to the Council’s attention.
t was not just the transport factor that was behind the Lottery decision. The Chippenham site was to be on a former cattle market made redundant for the purpose to the consternation of the farming community. Designated the biggest cul-de-sac in Europe, it had just one access road from the clogged town centre and bounded everywhere else by barriers of the London mainline and redundant railway embankments plus a river. The building was to have its main entrance within the danger area of a major electricity site with transformers which presented an explosion hazard known throughout the country.
A last point for this sumary is the fact that volume records from Salisbuiry District and its Diocese (which includes much of Dorset but not Chippenham) exceeds the whole of the rest of Wiltshire and Swindon put together!
Thank you, Mr Ellis, for your comments. I am relatively new to Salisbury (about 18 months resident) and so I apologise if you feel my interest in the issue is a little tardy. I read with interest the background you have given on the decision to move the county archives and local studies library to Chippenham.
Much of the problem with it (though this would do nothing to help the loss to local farmers, i realise) would be helped if Salisbury had better transport connections to the north of the county. The fact there is a perfectly serviceable, working passenger line between Salisbury and Swindon but with only one direct service is testament to the “lunatic decentralisation” you cite. Wiltshire CC have had plenty of opportunity to speak up against the outrageous cuts made to services in December 2007 but have chosen not to.
I await yet another response from the cabinet member with responsibility for travel, transport and economic development. Not even an acknowledgment. While it may be too late to reverse the decision of the new venue, it is important to campaign for improved access to it.