Market Place upgrade could start in spring

REVISED plans for Melksham’s new-look Market Place were unveiled last week, and work is expected to begin on the transformation in spring next year.

The plans are similar to those revealed in January, but there will no longer be an access ramp into the town hall, and some materials and street furniture have been changed.

Town and county councillor and chair of the project Jon Hubbard said, “I’m very pleased with the plans and they’re not a million miles away from the original ones. A few things have been scaled back, but the plans will deliver as much as possible on the budget we have.

“By using cheaper materials and changing some things, we have managed to shave off around half a million pounds from the original price.”

The new Market Place, which must be paid for using the campus budget, is expected to cost just over £500,000, significantly less than the original estimate which was closer to £1million.

A vote taken at an area board meeting in September saw local people agree that savings should be made on the Market Place to leave more money for the campus project, which is still decidedly short of funds.

Cllr Hubbard continued, “We haven’t cut back to the point that we’re compromising on the quality. The Market Place is the heart of the town and we want it to look as good as possible, and for the people of Melksham to be proud of it.

“What I’m most pleased about, and really the most important thing, is that we’re actually making it happen now. It has been talked about for a long time and as long as no serious problems crop up, we can expect to see shovels in the ground next spring, which is brilliant.”

One of the biggest changes is that the plan to have a ramp up to the front door of the town hall has been scrapped. Cllr Hubbard said the move was “a very difficult decision”, but that it would have been expensive and there is already a ramp at the back door. There will also be fewer benches than originally proposed.

The new Market Place will be divided into a pedestrian market area, campus access road, taxi rank, and disabled parking. The paved pedestrian area will start outside the town hall and stretch north to Place Road.

There will be a campus access road leading directly onto the roundabout, and space for taxis and three disabled parking spaces near the King Street entrance.

If both the Market Place and campus projects move forward as scheduled, work should begin on both towards the middle of next year, bringing the new facilities closer to fruition after years of waiting.