NEXT week council leaders will outline options to support the future growth of Melksham.

Wiltshire Council’s cabinet will be asked to release £2.8m to add to the already £2m in place to refurbish and redevelop Melksham House.

The idea is to create what the local authority is calling a “flexible co-working accommodation and a multi-purpose space for the community”, all the while training the building’s heritage.

This decision needs to be taken as the council was unsuccessful in its £14m bid for cash from the government’s Levelling Up Fund. In June, it applied for the funding to support two projects; £5m of which would go towards the refurbishment of Melksham House.

It was proposed that the rest of the money would go to changes around the Trowbridge Longfield Gyratory.

Now the cabinet is being requested to allocate £2.8m to unlock the potential of Melksham House.

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If cabinet agrees to allocate the funds, refurbishment work would provide office and meeting room spaces, and the community hall at the rear of the building will be restored to create activity spaces.

The improvements would include modern sustainable technologies such as LED lighting, air source heat pumps and photovoltaics.

A scheme for the redevelopment of the Melksham House was given planning consent in October this year.

Cabinet member for housing, strategic assets and asset transfer, and councillor for Melksham Without North & Shurnhold, Phil Alford said: “With the construction of Melksham Community Campus continuing to make great progress, it’s essential that we strategically plan for the future of the town, alongside our partners.

“The campus will be a fantastic facility right in the heart of the community, but its existence will leave other valued sites unoccupied.

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“Therefore, we want to work together to develop a vision that benefits the people and businesses of the town and the local area.

“The campus and our plans for Melksham House will hopefully just be the start, and we’re looking forward to working collaboratively and setting out our ambitions.”

The council is also looking to form a “Place Board” to look at the town in a more strategic way and make use of its potential – in partnership with Melksham Town Council.

When the community campus opens sites such as the library and Blue Pool will not be needed, the council says. Thus this new board would look at the best way to use the publicly-owned assets.

A council spokesman said: “If approved, a portion of funding will also go towards demolishing the Blue Pool building when Melksham Community Campus opens next year.

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“The future of the site itself is not known at this stage, but more opportunities and options will be available to the council if the building is demolished.”