Melksham Community Campus construction on track

Local people have received an update on the ongoing construction of Melksham Community Campus, which is continuing to make good progress and is on track to open next year.

An update on the campus, which benefited from a Sport England grant, was presented at Melksham Area Board on 23 June.

Residents were informed that construction is progressing, with the steel frame close to completion and the installation of the sports hall roof decking and the pool shell and pipework.

Some of the upcoming works include installation of external cladding, construction of ground and first floors, installation of internal partitions and pool concrete spray. Internal design details are being finalised.

Artist impressions were shown of what the final internal design could look like, with design details being finalised.

Construction work, which is being carried out by Pellikaan Construction Ltd, is due to conclude in the summer of 2022. The campus will offer a wide range of facilities under one roof, including a gym, pool, sports hall, library, and meeting space for the community.

The area board meeting had an update on the proposed restoration of Melksham House. The plan is to renovate Melksham House as a multi-functional hub for the local community, while ensuring the building's cultural and historical importance is maintained. A planning application is due to be submitted in July.

The application will seek permission to convert the house into flexible work space and the rear hall will be retained to provide multi-purpose activity/community space. People will be able to find out more about the Melksham House restoration plans by visiting Melksham Library during its opening hours 5 July - 9 July. Information will be shared on the Melksham Community Campus webpage and social media platforms.

There will be designs on display, and members of the project team will be on hand to answer any questions on 6 July between 10am-1pm and then 2pm-4pm. A recent bid to the Government's Levelling Up Fund could allow exploration of wider development opportunities. More information on that can be found Melksham House Levelling Up Wiltshire Council press release.

Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, said:

We couldn't be more pleased with the progress of construction so far. You can really see the campus take shape and, having talked about it for so long, it is extremely satisfying to see it starting to come to life.

We thank everyone for bearing with us during this construction period, particularly those who live nearby, as we know a project of this scale can cause disruption - we're doing everything we can to minimise that.

There's still a lot of work ahead of us, but day by day we are getting closer to providing a facility that we hope the community will be proud of.

Latest updates on Melksham Community Campus, including a regular newsletter, can be found on Melksham Community Campus.

People can also get updates on the campus's social media feeds, which can be found at X: Melksham Community Campus (opens new window) and Facebook: Melksham Community Campus (opens new window).