EXCITING proposals for a three site campus offering a wide range of leisure services to the community have been welcomed by the Westbury Area Board.
At a packed meeting of the board at the Laverton, members of the community campus team explained the proposals which have been formed after lengthy consultation with local people.
The proposals, which were formed as part of Wiltshire Council’s countywide community campus project, opted for retaining and improving three key existing buildings – the library, the Victorian swimming pool and Leighton Recreation Centre.
The proposals were endorsed by the area board councillors and will now be passed to Wiltshire Council to be looked at for feasibility and viability.
Councillor David Jenkins, who chairs the area board, paid tribute to the hard work and research that had gone into the proposals. He said, “We have now laid out what Westbury needs in terms of enhanced facilities to take it forward – we hope that the project will receive the backing it needs.”
Councillor Jonathon Seed, Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet member for campuses, explained that while the campus programme countywide was facing funding restrictions he would do what he could to get behind the proposals.
But he warned that not all of the proposals were likely to find funding but described the proposals as excellent.
The proposals include: • A renovation of Westbury’s historic pool with updated reception and changing facilities; • A refurbishment of the library, updating both the interior and exterior with a lift to the upper floors to make them publicly accessible and an extension to support additional services and a café; • A major redevelopment of Leighton Recreation Centre, updating and improving all the facilities on the site, both indoors and outside. An extended sports hall, a wider range of fitness equipment and all-weather facilities would be part of the plan. • Wiltshire Council could also look to base youth activities at Leighton now that the youth centre in the town has been closed.
The full proposals can be seen online at www.wiltshire. gov.uk/areaboards.
• What do you think? Email: news@whitehorsenews.co.uk.
