The 1890 map shows no housing other than part of the north part of the Longfield estate (off the map to the top left) and the Trowbridge Bathing Place, approximately where the weir is today. The land was segmented into a number of fields. Later the rest of Longfield was constructed to the south side of the river.
To the north, the semi-circular Clarendon Road was constructed and pictures show the bathing place had become an Art Deco outdoor swimming pool located where the bungalows and the Mosque in Longfield Road behind where Tesco are now located.
To provide land for the Tesco store and its parking, the River Biss was diverted towards Clarendon Road, and at the same time the boulder weir was constructed. On the north east side of the river a more formal landscape was created with mowed areas of grass, footpaths, lighting and a pond. Prince Philip formally opened the Country Park in 1993. Notice on the c1950 map the woods to the east of the West Ashton Road that have now gone, though remnants of Biss Wood remain south east of Biss Farm and to the north east of Larkrise Community Farm (both off the map segment).
To the south west of the river the land was lowered and small lagoons made to create a flood plain. Surface water from the housing runs off into this area. This area is less accessible and has become semi-natural with scrapes, long grasses, self planting trees, bushes, scrub and wild flowers. Some of these may have been planted. This semi-natural area has in turn attracted small mammals, amphibians, water fowl and birds.
The housing area has recently extended down the West Ashton Road to the Old Farm estate by the Blackball Bridge. So too has the area of the Country Park extended south of the Broadcloth Lane East road bridge to the new housing. Though at the time of writing the land beyond the hedgerow is still owned by the developer. In this grass field area a pond has been created, again to take surface water from the estate. As at April 2011, we are told that this land is about to pass to Wiltshire Council to form an enlarged Biss Meadows.
In 2007, the former West Wiltshire District Council, working with the South West of England Regional Development Agency, commissioned a study to produce a strategy for revitalising the river corridor through the town centre.
A Vision for the River Biss was produced followed by a Public Realm Design Guide - Sustainability Proposal and then an Implementation Plan. In March 2009 the Public Realm Design Guide was adopted by the new unitary authority Wiltshire Council:
"The River Biss Public Realm Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is an urban design guide for the public realm surrounding the course of the River Biss through central Trowbridge. It introduces an overall design concept for this prominent area, which is in close proximity to major development sites, and intends to inspire public and private sector development to a high standard of urban environment.
Following adoption, the SPD is now a material consideration in the determination of planning applications and should be used by applicants and developers, as well as decision-makers, to guide new development along the river corridor".
To refer to the documents see the Transforming Trowbridge section of the links page.
As at April 2011, South View Park is under development at the spot marked Lower Studley on the map. The developer is building a footbridge across the River Biss into the field behind the Old Farm Estate (the area mentioned above as about to pass to Wiltshire Council). This will allow a circular walk through Biss Meadows.
The East Trowbridge Development Brief has ear-marked the land to the east of the West Ashton Road and around Biss Farm, for employment use with a distributor road link between West Ashton Road and Paxcroft Mead with further housing off this road near to Paxcroft Mead. Within this development it outlines a green corridor that will link Biss Meadows Country Park with Paxcroft Mead and Green Lane Woods.
As of April 2011, the Draft Structural Plan through to 2026 (Wiltshire Core Strategy) and part of the Local Development Framework (LDF), proposes over 2,500 houses, mainly around Biss Farm down towards the Larkrise Community Farm with another green corridor through to Biss Wood. This plan also proposes further employment west of the River Biss flood plain and the railway line.
