EXCITING plans for a community campus at Leigh Park Community Centre have taken a positive step after town councillors voiced unanimous support for licence conditions to allow for the outdoor screenings of films, dance performances, live and recorded music and off-sales of alcohol.
The vision for the facility proposes developing the land to extend the use of the popular centre to a wider community, including new rooms for holistic therapies, outreach classrooms for schools, office space, satellites for GP clinics, and the Credit Union. It is hoped Westbury’s first eco-friendly shop with zero plastic will also be a feature and allotments would provide fresh fruit and vegetables for sale.
At their meeting on Monday 7th June, members of the town council’s policy and resources committee voted to write to Wiltshire Council backing the centre’s application to vary the existing licence.
Cllr Jane Russ noted that Wiltshire Council would have the final decision, and the meeting heard that the town council are consultees.
Cllr Matthew Dean said, “These are licences for activities under the licensing act in the same way that selling alcohol is. This would be considered by the licensing committee at Wiltshire Council.
“I wrote to Wiltshire Council supporting this – it’s effectively in the centre’s garden and they are a reasonable distance from the flats opposite and the shopping centre, so I don’t think it will cause any disturbance.”
Cllr Dean proposed writing to the licensing committee in support of the bid and this was seconded and approved by his committee colleagues.
Leigh Park Community Centre manager Debbie Cole, who presented the campus plan to the town council last November, told White Horse News, “This is all tied in with the campus plan. We hope to have a community garden where we will be able to hold fetes outdoors.
“We want to be able to sell drinks outside and play music. We are looking at extending our garden area and have a facility for marquees for things like weddings.”
Debbie said the trustees are very thankful for Westbury Town Council’s agreement to the variation of the current licence.
“If approved, it will mean that we can continue and further grow our delivery of services to the community,” she said. “It gives us great pleasure knowing that with the full backing and continued working relationship with Westbury Town Council, it will bring further benefit to the local community.
“Future plans of our very exciting campus project on our additional land, will bring new jobs to the area, as well as essential services. Plans include an education and training space, office hubs, community garden and an eco-green shop selling essential items which will support existing and new local businesses.”
Debbie said the centre is already an important community hub which is used by all ages for groups and organisations to meet and run classes, provide workshops, entertainment, corporate events and weddings. The community centre is also home to a preschool and has recently opened its own coffee shop.
The plans for the campus community garden also include a nature trail. Parking would be made available for buggies and bicycles.
To create the vision, Debbie said the charity would need a source of commercial funding.
Representations on the licence application must be sent to Wiltshire Council by June 28th.
