Fears chippy could be forced to close after 94 years

The owner of a chip shop which has been open for nearly 100 years fears he could have no option but to close the business if planned parking changes go ahead.

Customers of The Fisheries in Melksham, Wiltshire, frequently park at the nearby council-owned Lowbourne Car Park, which is set to be flattened as part of a new development.

Owner James Taylor said this could have a "catastrophic effect" as customers and delivery drivers would not be able to park nearby. "Ultimately we'd have to close down," he added.

Wiltshire Council said that - with 14 season ticket holders - Lowbourne was "the lowest‑use car park in the town" and work was underway to find "convenient alternative parking options".

The Fisheries has operated since 1932 and Taylor said it was a "traditional fish and chip shop".

"A lot of our customers are a little bit older and they wouldn't be able to walk [here] from other car parks in the area," he added.

There are plans for a permit scheme on Union Street to make up for the closure but some are concerned there will not be enough spaces for everyone.

Lowbourne Car Park has 64 spaces, whereas Union Street Car Park has 23, as well as 14 on-street bays.

Taylor would like to see part of the car park kept for public use, an idea backed by Becky Mitchener - a nurse who moved to Melksham from Bath 22 years ago.

Mitchener - who does shift work and said she relied on being able to park within a safe distance of her home - has a season ticket for the car park, which she said costed her £600 a year.

"The availability of parking has lessened and the price of available parking has gone up exponentially in the years," she said.

"The solution is to retain part of Lowbourne," Mitchener added.

Sandra Burnell, who has lived in Melksham for 10 years, said she feared there would be a "free-for-all" if Lowbourne closed.

"It will have a massive impact," the 57-year-old said.

"I understand what they are doing at Lowbourne but it will make things so difficult with an influx of cars spilling into Union Street," she added.

The car park is due to shut as part of plans for 60 affordable flats for retired people, which were approved by Wiltshire Council last year.

Councillor Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways, said: "If Lowbourne Car Park in Melksham does close in the future, existing permit holders will still be able to purchase permits for alternative Wiltshire Council car parks in the town, including Union Street."

He said a proposal for Union Street would see a "mixed approach" of bays for permit holders and separate limited‑waiting spaces, which permit holders could also use.

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