“Campus will open in 2019”

MELKSHAM’S campus will be built by 2019 and the project’s progress has been discussed ‘openly’, according to Wiltshire Council, which has hit back at claims the town is being kept in the dark.

Melksham News recently reported that town councillors were frustrated about unexplained delays to the years-long campus project, but a council chief denies that the county has been working behind closed doors.

Town councillors spoke of their annoyance during at least two meetings last month, including one arranged especially to demand answers on the campus from County Hall.

Wiltshire councillor John Thomson, the cabinet member spearheading the countywide campus project, has since disputed claims that the town has been kept in the dark.

However, a former member of Melksham Campus Shadow Community Operations Board (SCOB), Colin Goodhind, has also spoken of the group’s frustration with the Campus project and lack of accountability. SCOB was set up in 2012 by Melksham Area Board and was made up of members of the local community appointed to ensure that the Campus reflected the views of local people.

Colin Goodhind said, “We all signed confidentiality agreements so we could be party to information previously only shared within Wiltshire Council and we were assured we would be fully involved in the process.

“Right from the start we were assured that funding was protected and at no time were we told there was a problem; until June 2015 that is. It quickly became clear that the members of the SCOB had wasted nearly four years and funding for the project was to be slashed. Not only had we given up our time voluntarily, we then had to sit through at least two Area Board meetings listening to how the SCOB had done a great job and assurances that the funding situation remained unchanged.”

Hitting back at the criticism, Wiltshire Councillor John Thomson said, “We are fully committed to providing a health and wellbeing centre for the Melksham community and have been working hard to progress its delivery.

“The timescale for commencing the new centre has been openly discussed with the town council at a meeting in September and full details and plans have been shared.

“Town councillors have also visited the new health and wellbeing centre in Tisbury to view the integrated community hall space and to visualise whether this could work in Melksham.

“Wiltshire Council was asked for a timeline to progress this matter and a draft programme plan was provided to assist the town council in looking at the actions it needs to take. It is therefore a surprise that cllr Hubbard states the timeline as being only three months when the timing and progress was openly discussed at the September meeting, that he did not attend.

“Wiltshire Council is continuing to work closely with the local community including the town council to deliver a centre that provides what is needed and what will be sustainable into the future.”

Cllr Thomson confirmed that the football and rugby clubs can expect to move into their new facility in January, when the focus will shift onto the Melksham House site.

Wiltshire Council added that construction work at Melksham House is due to start in 2018 with work expected to complete in 2019.

“Significant investment into Melksham has already been made at Woolmore Farm,” cllr Thomson said. “As well  as the provision of a new skate park which will be out to tender shortly, and the improvements to the Market Place will start in January 2017.

“Plus the new health and wellbeing centre which will provide state-of-the-art facilities and services for the people of Melksham and the surrounding area.”