TROWBRIDGE'S campus project has been handed a huge boost after it was announced work is set to begin on a new healthcare centre in autumn this year.

The NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) delivered a presentation to Trowbridge Area Board on Thursday which stated it has secured £3.8 million of funding to spend on a new primary care unit facility on land adjacent to St Stephen's Place, off County Way.

It is time-limited funding which must be spent before 2019, so progress is expected to be made quickly on the site, which will eventually act as a replacement for the struggling Trowbridge Community Hospital.

Colin Kay, chairman of the Trowbridge Area Board Campus Working Group, said: “While it’s encouraging that work is due to begin on the healthcare side of things later this year, we still believe the campus should have a strong emphasis on leisure.

“Salisbury and Chippenham, the two other major towns in Wiltshire, both have indoor leisure facilities complete with gyms and swimming pools, but Trowbridge doesn’t have anything like that.

“When we asked residents what was needed in the town four years ago, that was the answer given by lots of people and we hoped that it would be delivered in this project.

“Of course there is a real need for more primary care in Trowbridge and it’s fantastic that they have secured funding of £3.8 million, but I really do hope there will be provision for leisure facilities too.”

In November, Trowbridge Area Board criticised Wiltshire Council of showing a lack of transparency over the campus project, prompting chairman of the board, Cllr Graham Payne, to write a letter to the council’s director expressing his frustration.

But Cllr John Thompson, cabinet member for campuses at Wiltshire Council, thinks the project is now on track and looking positive.

He said: "This is very encouraging for Trowbridge.

“My priority is healthcare provision and that is what we have been concentrating on, but the plan is still very much to include leisure facilities too.

“As the £3.5 million funding for healthcare is time-limited and must be spent before 2019, it could be that it’s a phased development with healthcare coming first and leisure second.”

Cllr Payne said Trowbridge Community Hospital could be sold off once the new site is functional but it is 'very important' that the birthing unit remains in Trowbridge.