DETAILED plans for the former Blue Pool site and Assembly Hall, which have been put forward by the Friends of Melksham Assembly Hall group, have been welcomed, but also criticised by some town councillors for not including input from the council. However, the Friends group say that the council had not progressed the planned joint meetings.
In June, the town council revealed they had the opportunity to acquire the Blue Pool site, which is currently owned by Wiltshire Council. This led to discussions on what could be done with the building, with the options including combining the site with the Assembly Hall or building something new to replace both sites.
The idea, to amalgamate the sites into an entertainment and museum centre, was first presented in outline to councillors by the Friends of Melksham Assembly Hall group at a previous committee meeting.
At a recent full town council meeting, cllr Graham Ellis presented a business case on behalf of the group for their preferred option to combine the sites. Their plan would see improvements made to the Assembly Hall with a new entrance and larger bar area. Their plan for the former Blue Pool site included a museum, a community hub space which could be used for a variety of uses, storage and maintenance for the council’s amenities team and parking.
Town councillors welcomed the effort the group had put into the business plan but some said they had not consulted the town council and that the future of the sites were due to be considered by the town council’s Assembly Hall working group.
Cllr Phil Alford said, “It’s great that you have got all these people involved, however you have got to go through the appropriate channels. It’s work that should be done by the town council. I love the effort, I love the enthusiasm and I agree with what you are saying, but you have gone about it all wrong.”
However, the Friends of Melksham Assembly Hall felt officers had not moved quickly enough to set up the Assembly Hall working group meeting – something which the council agreed on in June. Cllr Graham Ellis said, “Please can the town council come forward to get on to do this with the time scale you have set.”
Speaking of the plans presented by Cllr Ellis, cllr Jennie Westbrook said, “I commend you massively because I think it’s obvious that the town council has not moved fast enough. I don’t believe the ambition in this has gone far enough. I think you have got a brilliant foundation, but the reason I think it needs an architect is that you need someone to come in and architecturally come up with what could potentially go in there. It can be the place where the town comes together as a community hub, it has that ability.”
Following the town council meeting, it was arranged for the town council’s Assembly Hall Working Group, which included representation from the Friends of Melksham Assembly Hall group, to meet on Monday 24th July. The working group says that they are now awaiting a report on the building condition and options from a specialist, which the council asked be engaged in June. The report is expected to be returned in two to three weeks.