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Agenda item

Melksham Community Campus - update

Cllr Roy While.

Minutes:

Cllr Jon Hubbard outlined the written update provided by COB Chair Cllr Roy While which had been circulated at the meeting.

 

Points made included:

 

·       At the April Area Board meeting the Associate Director for Communities and Communications gave an update on the Rugby and Football development at Woolmore Farm and the Campus. Cllr John Thompson, WC Cabinet member gave a further update on the Woolmore Farm development and outlined the way ahead on the programme for the Campus – the budget position, the need for savings and timelines at a meeting with the COB (Community Operations Board ) last week.

 

 

Woolmore Farm Rugby and Football facilities

 

·       The decision making process allowing the award of the Woolmore Farm contract had now been completed. Building work was now set to start on the development, Beard are building the new clubhouse with Kestral carrying out the ground modelling.

 

·       Work on the Woolmore Farm site should be completed by July 2016. The football and rugby clubs would then move from the Melksham House site. The relocation of the clubs would allow the construction of the campus to begin in the summer of 2016.

 

 

Market Place

 

·       The council’s highways team were continuing to look at options to improve the market place and the access to the campus. At the next COB meeting the Market Place steering group would also attend so that this matter could be fully discussed, with proposals being taken to the Area Board for decision.

 

·       This scheme once selected and approved would be delivered in 2016 and would not cause any delays to the delivery of the campus.

 

 

Melksham Community Campus

 

·       The budget allocation requires savings of approximately £5 million to be made. Consequently the scheme needed to be reviewed so that the campus could be delivered within this budget envelope. The COB discussed their priorities for the site and their views on how the budget was best spent.

 

·       The original scheme had a strong aesthetic element. The consensus of the COB was that priority now needed to be given to functionality rather than aesthetics. It was agreed that design features should be revaluated to ensure that as many of the original facilities were retained as possible. The COB had agreed that the campus delivery team should now work with the architects to come up with a revised scheme and they would bring proposals back to the COB in July. The COB and Area Board members would then appraise these revised designs so that the programme could be progressed.

 

·       Once the new scheme was given approval by the Area Board the project team would take the scheme to planning and begin the tender process concurrently. Construction work would start next summer.

 

·       Naturally the COB team are disappointed that the campus was being delayed particularly after commitment and hard work over the past 4 years. Team members had spent countless hours in consultation and discussion with the users, community and the Architect but were determined to work with officers and Area Board members to give the community a campus that would offer an enhanced range of activities.

 

The Chairman thanked Cllr Hubbard for outlining Cllr While’s update.