Melksham Town Council has agreed to move forward with planning a vision for combining the Blue Pool site and the Assembly Hall, ahead of architects visiting the site this week.
At the full town council meeting on Monday, 27th January, councillors unanimously agreed to ask architects to return to a future meeting with a full brief and proposal outlining what could be done with the buildings.
It was also unanimously agreed to hold a public consultation on the plans before contracting the work, which Cllr Adrienne Westbrook described as “one of the biggest developments to happen in Melksham.”
The Blue Pool closed its doors in 2022, with its services relocated to the newly built campus. In June 2023, the town council announced a chance to acquire the site, owned by Wiltshire Council, prompting discussions about its future use. Options include integrating it with the Assembly Hall, which is owned by the town council, or developing a new facility to replace both sites.
In 2023, the Friends of Melksham Assembly Hall group presented a business case advocating for the combined use of the sites and to amalgamate them into an entertainment and museum centre.
While town councillors welcomed the group’s proposal, some expressed concerns about the lack of consultation with the council and noted that the sites’ future was due to be reviewed by the Assembly Hall working group.
However, councillors now welcomed the architects’ upcoming site visit, with Cllr Adrienne Westbrook saying she was ‘excited’ to begin the process.
She said that it was ‘important to take Melksham on the journey’ and also suggested the council approach Melksham Without Parish Council to see if it would like to be a partner in the plans.
“It’s a long process if we are going to get it right and if we get the people of Melksham to come with us,” she said.
Cllr Charlie Stokes echoed this and also asked that the town’s young people be involved in planning the venue’s future.
“Talking to children over at the skatepark two weekends ago, some of them had some amazing ideas for the Assembly Hall. They want to see it be something great as well,” explained Cllr Stokes.
Melksham News asked the town council how they could provide assurance to the public that the project would be finished in a timely manner, following delays with some other projects, including the Sensory Garden, which is still in progress six years on.
Melksham’s mayor, Cllr Tom Price, said, “We have now started to do work on the Sensory Garden, and I feel confident that now we have made progress in acquiring the Blue Pool site, we will make this a priority going forward.”
With the upcoming election in May, he said he could not speak for the next council but added, “I can’t speak for the next council, but I hope the next council will prioritise that going forward.”
Pictured: The Blue pool and Assembly Hall site
