The future of the former Fire and Ambulance Station is under review as the Calne Town Council Buildings Working Group explores options for the building.
The building was transferred from Wiltshire Council for a symbolic £1 in 2022. The building is currently in a dilapidated condition and will need extensive works to ensure its safety and preservation.
While the transfer came with stipulations requiring the building's use for community purposes, a clear vision for its future has remained elusive.
Councillor MacNaughton has championed the idea of transforming the building into a community arts centre. "We need a cultural space in town, and this would make a perfect setting for it," he stated. He believes a dedicated cultural space would provide a valuable resource for the community, fostering artistic expression and cultural engagement.
However, newly elected Councillor Orrey Pike is advocating for a youth centre. Cllr Pike argues that investing in youth facilities is crucial for community cohesion and addressing the root causes of petty crime. "Empty buildings are a wasted opportunity," Pike emphasised, "but even worse is leaving our young people with nowhere to go and nothing constructive to do. If we get this right, we won’t just be transforming old buildings—we’ll be transforming lives."
It is worth noting that the council have already invested heavily into the provision of facilities and activities for the town's younger residents. They currently fund three sessions per week plus mentoring from Rise Trust at £23,000, Open Blue Bus visits Calne for an hour on Friday evenings at a cost of £5000 over 25 weeks of the year and the ever popular ATB Skate Workshops take place during school holidays throughout the year at a cost of £3,200. In addition to this, there are other funded summer holiday activities aimed more at primary school children.
In the 2025/2026 budget a £20,000 budget was put in place for a phased plan for improvements to The Rec.
The first phase is the play equipment due to be installed later this year. Part of the second phase is to provide some sort of youth space - possibly using two shipping containers which could be adapted and fitted out to provide facilities for different activities as well as good access to open space.
A task group was set up which included Councillor Sam Pearce-Kearney, Celia Stevens, representatives from the Lions and The Rise Trust. They visited a youth hub in Thornbury where they have something similar set up and were very impressed by what they were able to offer.
Celia told Calne News: "Obviously, we need to involve young people in the project. The Rise Trust have been awarded money by Calne Area Board to enable an independently run online consultation to be set up. We started by asking a group of students to put together a short presentation, based on some survey work they had done, to give a us some initial ideas about what they might like the Youth Hub to be able to provide.
"One of their key points was that somewhere for exercise was really important - making The Rec an ideal place. Working with some students at Kingsbury Green we have trialled an on-line questionnaire and are currently making adaptations in response to their suggestions. It is hoped this will be launched over the next couple of weeks."
Do you have an idea for the old building? Calne Town Council would love to hear it! Please submit your suggestions to
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