Government cash for Trowbridge

The redevelopment of the East Wing and Ashton Street sites in Trowbridge will take a step forward after £700,000 was awarded by the government this week.

The bid was submitted to the Government's Land Release Fund by the One Wiltshire Estate Partnership - which consists of the council plus partners such as health services, Wiltshire Police, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue and the Ministry of Defence, and aims to make efficient use of public sector land, facilities and services.

This funding will be used for work to enable delivery of additional housing. The partnership has previously benefited from One Public Estate funding towards feasibility work, site surveys and design work.

The development at East Wing will incorporate housing, leisure and retail as well as a new primary health care facility.

Trowbridge is designated a principal settlement in the core strategy and a focus for new development in Wiltshire. The Trowbridge Masterplan (2014) identifies East Wing as a strategically important opportunity that can deliver mixed use development.

The funding will go towards removing a couple of the barriers to bringing forward the development of the East Wing site. These include rerouting a culverted water course and Victorian sewer, and demolition of a building involving removal of asbestos. The Ashton Street site requires demolition of the existing building, together with geotechnical and ecological surveys.

The Land Release Fund competitively assessed bids from local authorities on value for money, innovation, and the contribution to wider government housing objectives. Nearly 80 bids were successful, with £45 million being awarded to 41 authorities.