WILTSHIRE councillors have revealed that the Melksham Campus has a £5million funding shortfall and that land around Melksham House could be sold to plug the gap. The proposed Market Place redevelopment could also be scaled back to save money.
At a meeting of Melksham Area Board, it was proposed that surplus land such as the old tennis courts at Melksham House, and the Blue Pool, could be sold in a bid to raise money.
It was confirmed that the Woolmore Farm development – at £7million – had cost more than intended and there is not enough money left to go ahead with the original plans for the Melksham House campus.
Currently, there is £16million available to build the new campus and renovate the Market Place.
Cllr Jon Hubbard, chair of the new Campus Project Operations Board, said at the area board meeting, “Many people will agree that this campus journey has been going on a long time. The good news is that there are shovels in the ground at Woolmore Farm and we can focus on moving forward with the Melksham House aspect.
“Unfortunately the cold hard truth is that what we want to do there, and what we can afford to do, are now very different things. There is a funding shortfall of between five and five-and-a-half million pounds.
“We are committed to providing all the facilities Melksham needs and wants, and so are looking at ways to increase our capital.”
It was confirmed that Melksham Town Council has entered into discussions with campus officers about moving its offices into the new development. The project would then benefit from extra income from the town council.
Cllr Hubbard then conducted a survey of the packed Assembly Hall, asking for residents’ opinions on scaling back plans for the Market Place and selling land if it meant the sports facilities would benefit.
The consensus was that people were in favour of a cheaper, mainly functional renovation of the Market Place, and selling some surrounding land in order to raise the cash.
Areas suggested included the old tennis courts behind the bowling pavilion; the site of the Blue Pool and the Assembly Hall (which would be incorporated into the campus); and the least likely third plot, the rugby pitch and the open space between Orchard Gardens and Hazelwood Road.
Cllr Hubbard said that the land, if sold, would most likely be used to build houses. However, it wasn’t clear how much of the money would be seen by the campus project. Mayor of Melksham cllr Terri Welch, explained that some money from the sale of the Assembly Hall would go to the town council, and cllr Hubbard did not know whether Cooper Tires – who sold the Melksham House land to Wiltshire Council – would have to be paid if other plots of land were sold.
Building work is currently under way at Woolmore Farm, and planning is going ahead for the Melksham Community Campus, on which work is expected to start next year.
