Town council’s plans for community centre – nearly a missed opportunity?

MELKSHAM Town Council is pushing ahead with plans to stop construction of a new community centre on land to the east of Spa Road, that they say is “too small” and “inadequate” and build it themselves. However, it has emerged that the town council was offered this proposition a year ago, but failed to follow it up.

The town council want Bloor Homes – the developers of the 450 new homes being built on land off Snowberry Lane – to give them land and the money (£500,000) to build a “much bigger” centre themselves.

However, at an extraordinary meeting of the full town council earlier this month, it was highlighted by Wiltshire councillor Phil Alford, that the town council already had an offer from the developers to have the land and associated funds transferred to them over a year ago.

And the minutes of the town council’s economic development and planning committee meeting held on 17th June 2019 – which have not been published publically online – confirm that an offer had been made by the developers and that councillors had unanimously agreed to move forward with the project.

It is currently unknown why the offer was not moved forward – but the delay has been blamed for the current planning application, which has been submitted by the developers to build a community hall to meet their obligations.

Speaking to Melksham News, chair of the town council’s economic development and planning committee, cllr Adrienne Westbrook, confirmed that she had repeatedly asked for progress on the project and that she agreed with cllr Alford that the town council should “explore the reasons for the delay”.

Currently, it is proposed that the community centre be built on land located near Spa Medical Centre, but councillors have said that they would prefer to be given land in a more central location for the housing development – near the Water Meadow pub, Verbena Court.

The town council will now need to check with the developers that the offer made last year – to transfer the land and associated funds – still stands. 

However, council staff have explained that they have been unable to contact Brookbanks – the company that has made the planning application on behalf of Bloor Homes – describing attempts as “very difficult”.

At the meeting, councillors unanimously agreed to continue attempts to contact the developers with their proposal.

It was also agreed at the meeting that the town council should also confirm with Melksham Without Parish Council that they wish to accept their offer of giving the town council the CIL money they had received – the financial contribution made by developers Bloor Homes towards the cost of supporting infrastructure for the development.

Councillors explained that the CIL money would be the additional funding they would be seeking to build the facility.

Town councillors have already objected to the planning application for the community centre, explaining that the proposed building does not meet Sport England guidance for the minimum size of village and community halls.

A decision by Wiltshire Council was expected by Tuesday 15th September.

Since the town council meeting, the community centre issue has “moved forward” with assistance from Wiltshire Council’s Section 106 officer and clerk to Melksham Without Parish Council, Teresa Strange.

Cllr Westbrook explained to Melksham News, “Teresa [Strange] has done a lot of work on this. She has spoken to the Section 106 officer (at Wiltshire Council) and there is no panic.

“If we are going to build it, there is not an issue – we just need to talk to them about getting it sorted, and getting the money sorted, because there is no immediate time constraints on it having to be built by the developer. We’ve got time to work with Brookbanks to get it sorted – the issue is getting hold of them.”

To view the plans, visit the Wiltshire Council planning website, and search using the reference 20/06075/REM.

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planning-applications-search