COUNCILLORS in Melksham are to stage two public meetings to gather residents’ views on the future development of the town’s Assembly Hall.

The meetings will be held on Thursday, November 30 at the Assembly Hall. A morning tea will be held at 10.30am and an evening meeting at 7.30pm.

Members of the town council and CaSA Architects of Bath who are helping to develop a feasibility study brief will be present at both meetings.

CaSA are conducting a feasibility study to assess whether it is possible to modernise, re-design the building or build a new Assembly Hall on the site.

The architects will be asking users, former users, potential users and residents, what they think should happen to the former drill hall.

The Assembly Hall is thought to date from between the First and Second World Wars but now needs extensive modernisation.

For many years it has been Melksham’s leading entertainment venue and can seat up to 400 people. The study will look at future usage and potential demand.

Town council chief executive Stephen Gray said they were looking at the future use of the hall over the next 40 to 50 years and whether a new state-of-the-art facility should be built for people to enjoy.

“Community feedback will help us create a brief for the improvement works. All are welcome and Melksham Town Council looks forward to hearing your thoughts.

“The Melksham Assembly Hall is a great community asset, but could it be even better? Melksham Town Council would like to understand how the Assembly Hall could be improved to increase the community’s enjoyment of this valuable asset.”

The feasibility study is expected to take at least six months to complete but could take longer if more time is required.

In addition to the two public meetings, an online survey is available through this link https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JPY87TS

There are also pop-up invitations on the Melksham Town Council website and through its Facebook and Twitter pages.

Paper copies of the survey are available at the Assembly Hall and Town Hall. The survey will close on Tuesday, December 5.