More Details of the Melksham Town Centre Campus

By sashahes | Thursday, June 16, 2011, 16:41

Wiltshire Council has now confirmed that it will purchase Melksham House and the Blue Pool site in Melksham town centre, currently owned by Cooper Tire. This will be subject to site assessment and negotiating contracts. The infamous Melksham campus will be rebuilt in the town centre!

Melksham Oak will not be the home of the new Melksham sports facilities and library

In April of this year Phil McMullen approached Graham Ellis to enquire

whether anyone had asked Cooper Avon Tires about their plans for the

future. Graham, in the capacity of President of Melksham Chamber of

Commerce, made contact with Cooper Avon, who in turn arranged a meeting

with Wiltshire Council about the possibility of locating the new

Community Campus on the Melksham House site.

At a subsequent public

meeting hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and chaired by Phil, which was

intended to sound out public opinion, without naming any specific

option, an almost unanimous agreement was reached that the overwhelming

preference of those present was for a new campus within the town centre

rather than at the Woolmore Farm site, close by Melksham Oak Community

School.

Cooper Tires support the council's ambition to provide improved services

in a central location and promoting their site for this purpose has

demonstrated their commitment to Melksham and its local residents.

Cooper Tire Europe Managing Director Julian Baldwin says, "For many years Melksham House has been used by the local community, so we are delighted to reach an agreement with Wiltshire Council so Melksham House can continue to provide services to the local community."

Even though he appeared to be fully behind the Melksham Oak campus, Melksham Area Board Chair Jonathon Seed says, "This is a great outcome for Melksham. I am pleased that our desire to secure a central site for a service campus has become a reality."

Work on providing the new campus may start in Autumn 2012.

Reactions were varied: on Twitter I saw:

"Someone explain how the traffic will get to the new campus at Melksham House?? Melksham Oak was a better option...."

but most people appeared to be happy with the result for Melksham:

"Congratulations to Wiltshire Council, this is the best and most exciting news for Melksham residents in years."

"Great news! Hopefully Melksham will become a thriving town again!"

"Melksham House the new leisure centre! Great news for everyone and ticks all my boxes! Well done!"

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Comments

Great positive news for Melksham!

By sashahes at 18:48 on 01/10/11
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Yea, spoke to an exec. at Wilts Council. Contracts signed, sealed and delivered.

By philmcm at 18:29 on 01/10/11
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Contract on Melksham House?

By sashahes at 18:24 on 01/10/11
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Contracts signed today.

By philmcm at 22:01 on 30/09/11
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The question of access might actually be a non-issue. There is direct access off the A350, which will be part of the land purchase I'm sure, since it's now little-used access to the back of Melksham House. As you drive past, look between the houses and the cemetery…that overgrown path has actually taken caravans to a playing field in the back.

And, looking at the plans for the Wilts&Berks canal, they had planned off-road access at just about that very spot on the other side of the A350. I say it's a great place for a roundabout to service both the campus and the canal! Teamed-up thinking!

Car and canal access from the A350, foot traffic in from the town centre and off buses (that the council does not have to provide); man, this location just gets better and better!

By lisaell at 17:24 on 20/06/11
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