THE wheels of Melksham’s Health and Wellbeing Centre (formerly the campus) project were put back in motion after local councillors agreed to press ahead with new plans for the Melksham House site.
160 people packed out Melksham United Church for the busiest area board meeting in years, as Wiltshire Council officers revealed cuts and changes to campus plans first put forward in 2013.
The council’s associate director Laurie Bell and cabinet member for campuses, councillor John Thomson, gave a presentation about the new leisure proposals for the centre, and Melksham Area Board gave its approval for design phase to begin.
As revealed in the last issue of Melksham Independent News, the new indoor bowls facility was cut out of the plans, as were the climbing wall, a community display space, and some of the space intended for the library, meeting rooms and police accommodation.
The sports facilities were, for the most part, untouched and two squash courts, a fitness studio, two swimming pools, a gym, and a six-court sports hall – increased from four – will all be part of the new centre. There will also be outdoor provision made for tennis, cricket and bowls.
The council also announced at the meeting that it would be rebuilding the skatepark in King George V Park as part of the project.
A library with IT facilities, cafe, community and office space, and a new practice for St. Damian’s Surgery will also be included in the centre.
Chair of Melksham Area Board, Jonathon Seed said, “I’m delighted this £23million project has got the final go-ahead and that we have agreed a great mix of facilities and services that will offer something for everyone in the Melksham community area and beyond.
“Melksham Health and Wellbeing Centre is the culmination of a shared vision to deliver a centre for the whole community, young and old, to use. I am pleased that work is well under way on the facilities at Woolmore Farm and I can’t wait to see work start on the new centre and see the vision become a reality.
“I’d also like to personally thank the project board and the community operations board (COB) for their work, which has been invaluable and we couldn’t have got to this stage without them.”
It has not yet been decided whether Melksham Town Council and the Assembly Hall will also be part of the new site – a full design will be put together when that has been confirmed.
Chair of the campus project board, town councillor Jon Hubbard said, “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to confirm the leisure facilities for the Melksham House project. I’m confident the campus will happen now.
“I don’t think Melksham was ever at risk of not getting a campus – we were at risk of not getting what we were promised, and that proved to be true. It is gutting that some things have had to be taken out, but it’s important that we focus on moving forward.
“Especially from a political point of view, we have nothing to gain from pointing out who said what. What’s important now is that the people of Melksham get a campus. Christie Miller is going to fall down; we will lose that leisure centre and it’s important that there’s something here to replace it when we do.
“I think it’s most likely we’ll see the health and wellbeing centre opening in early 2019. The next work to happen will be the Market Place renovation, which will absolutely be happening this summer and will be done before the Christmas Lights switch on.”
Melksham’s Health and Wellbeing Centre – formerly campus – project has so far been around six years in the making, with planning permission being secured for the original plans in 2014 – at the time it was expected that the entire project would be completed by summer 2016.
The presence of protected newts at Woolmore Farm and an overspend on the site put a spanner in the works and saw building pushed back and funding taken away from Melksham House.
Work is now well under way at Woolmore Farm and the £7.3million football and rugby facilities are expected to be finished this summer, ready for the clubs to move in ahead of the 2016/17 seasons.
Building can start at Melksham House when the clubs have moved, subject to planning permission. Updated permission will be needed when the new plans are created, but cllr Hubbard predicted it would simply be a variation of the existing proposal – a faster route than an entirely new application.
Wiltshire Council has said it will look into other solutions for the indoor bowls club, which was disappointed by its exclusion from the plans, such as staying at Christie Miller.
However, cllr Hubbard said, “I think the council is at risk of promising things it can’t deliver in terms of the bowls club. Where will the money come from to maintain Christie Miller, if that is what is being suggested? If there’s a budget for that, why can’t it be used at Melksham House?
“I have some serious questions about that and it’s so important that we are open and honest with people about what is possible.”
