Hopes of free parking and a new multi-storey car park in Chippenham have been raised by Wiltshire Council as it launches a consultation on parking.

The council commissioned consultants Atkins to carry out a review of all parking in Chippenham at the end of November 2013.

The results, published this week, show car parks on a Saturday were 70 per cent full at their busiest, between 11am and 2pm, and 69 per cent full at peak time on Fridays, 10.30am to 2.30pm.

Council deputy leader John Thomson said it may be possible to spread the load from other more popular times by bringing in free parking in the town centre after 3pm.

He said: “In the future we need to look when new developments are going ahead to see if it is possible for a multi-storey car park to be included. We need to look at having free car parking after 3pm.”

Town councillor Sandie Webb, who runs restaurant Revolutions in New Road said: “It would help rejuvenate the town centre. I don’t think free parking will ever happen now because councils are too hard-up these days.”

Chippenham’s MP Duncan Hames has more than 2,500 signatures on a petition he started to restore an free hour’s parking. He said: “With approaching 3,000 signatures on my petition calling for an hour’s free parking to be restored, it’s time they listened.”

When 8,000 homes were surveyed by Michelle Donelan, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Chippenham, and her supporters earlier this year, 72 per cent of those who responded said some free parking should be introduced in the town.