Acorn Property Group’s £50m scheme passed despite concerns reduced retail and leisure space would harm local economy
Plans to transform Emery Gate Shopping Centre in Chippenham into 225 new homes have been approved by Wiltshire Council.
Developer Acorn Property Group’s £50m “Chippenham Riverside” scheme will deliver a mixed-use neighbourhood reconnecting the High Street with Island Park and the River Avon.
Designed by HNW Architects, the masterplan includes a series of seven new buildings with landscaped outdoor parades, squares, mews and terraces over the existing refurbished subterranean car park.
There would be 102 one-bedroom, 115 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom dwellings, all for open market sale.
A viability assessment deemed the provision of any affordable housing units unviable, with the council approving the regeneration based on its wider benefits, such as the redevelopment of a major brownfield site, 4,000sqm of new commercial and community floorspace and public realm improvements.
A planning application was originally lodged in 2024, but the scheme was called in for scrutiny in January 2026 following concerns raised by a councillor that “the proposed number of retail and leisure units is below what our community needs […] which would force several existing businesses to close”.
Liz Alstrom, Wiltshire councillor for Chippenham argued that “this would not only harm the vitality of our high street but also result in a loss of local jobs and economic activity.”
She called for an increase in the scheme’s leisure and commercial floorspace provision, but planning officers ultimately disagreed that the reduction would harm the town centre.
Lee Davies, director at HNW Architects, said: “Emery Gate is one of those sites that really matters. It sits between the High Street, the river and the park, yet for years it has turned its back on all three.
“This approval recognises the opportunity to do something fundamentally better – to repair the townscape, open up the riverside and create a piece of Chippenham that works throughout the day and into the evening… Chippenham Riverside is well placed to act as a catalyst for wider regeneration.”
1 Readers' comment