8:20am Thursday 10th December 2009
By James Williams
Warminster Town Council could move into its new home at the Assembly Rooms as early as next year, according to the town’s mayor.
Councillors voted in June to move to Sambourne Road from the present offices at Dewey House, in North Row, because of a lack of space.
Before the move, the Assembly Rooms require an £800,000 refurbishment which will include creating a hall for hire, town council chamber, council offices, coffee and licensed bars.
Cllr Tony Nicklin, a former chamber of commerce president and current town mayor, says a planning application is due to be submitted before Christmas.
“Architects have been commissioned to prepare the application based upon plans the town council approved in September and confirmed in November,” he said.
“Architects are also preparing tender drawings and I’m hoping these will also be available before Christmas.
“The building will only need a change of use because it’s not being extended, it’s just being reorganised inside.”
The mayor believes the refurbishment, which will be funded by the Public Works Loan Board, will rejuvenate the building, which is currently losing about £60,000 a year.
“Every town council is faced with the same problems. It’s nothing unusual, but we want to change the concept of the Assembly Rooms from a hall for hire to a diverse centre that will pay for itself,” he said.
The building is likely to be closed for six months while work takes place, as the project would take longer if work was phased in, allowing the hall to stay open.
The town council has also said it does not intend to sell Dewey House, which is home to Warminster and Westbury’s CCTV centre.
Cllr Nicklin added: “The ground floor will be converted for commercial and community use and the CCTV room, which has 29 cameras, will be maintained.
“We’re interested in bidding or monitoring a lot more in the CCTV centre. Trowbridge are newcomers and they subcontract to a private company.”
The tender process for the Assembly Rooms revamp will be reviewed at the full town council meeting on January 18.
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