Melksham councillor Jon Hubbard has welcomed the news that formal construction of the Melksham Campus will commence on 1st March 2021.
"It's been an incredibly difficult journey to get to this point", commented the Melksham South Councillor, "and I can't hide a real sense of relief that we have finally got here.
"What we have isn't everything we were promised at the beginning but we are still getting the campus and it will hopefully be open late 2022.
"We now need to encourage this work to proceed as smoothly and efficently as possible to ensure the construction is completed to schedule.
"I will be monitoring the progress and working with the construction team to try and make sure the disruption to local residents and businesses is kept to the minimum possible."
The press release issued by Wiltshire Council following the announcement of the construction commencement reads:
Spades at the ready - construction on Melksham Campus is set to get underway
Construction on Melksham Community Campus is set to get underway next month, marking a huge milestone for the project.
The campus will offer a host of top-class facilities under one roof, including a gym, pool, sports hall, library, and meeting space for the community.
Construction work is due to start on 1 March 2021. The work is being carried out by Pellikaan Construction Ltd, who specialise in the construction of sports and leisure facilities.
Here's everything people need to know about the upcoming construction:
- The campus construction traffic will come in via Market Place and everything will be done to minimise any disruption
- For the duration of the construction period, the car parks on the site will be closed and access will be restricted to construction/maintenance vehicles only. Access arrangements will be in place for the on-site clubs.
- Nearby cark parks are available. People should visit Melksham car parks page for more information
- Pedestrian routes around the site will remain open. These will be clearly signposted, but access to the Market Place through the construction site will not be possible
- Large vehicle movements in and out of site will be restricted during school drop-off and pick-up times
- Access to the construction site will be managed by a gate operative
- Steps are being taken to preserve the Market Place and the gates and pillars at the entrance to the Melksham House site
- The campus is expected to open by autumn 2022
Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, said:
I am delighted to confirm that construction is nearly underway. Given the scale of our ambition, and the complexity of the project, it is tremendous to reach this milestone. I'd like to thank everyone involved for helping us to get us to this point.
We've talked about this project for a long time, but now it's time to make our vision a reality.
Construction of this nature is undoubtedly going to cause some disruption, but we'll do everything we can to keep that to a minimum.
We'll continue to keep all stakeholders updated on progress through this last, but most important, leg of the journey towards a fantastic facility that will really benefit the health and wellbeing of the local community.
A newsletter updating people on campus news and progress of the works will be regularly published. If anyone has any initial queries they should email [email protected].
More information, including frequently asked questions, can be found on the Information on Melksham Community Campus page.
