Trowbrdge Area Board chairman Graham Payne is calling on Wiltshire Council to get on and buy the derelict Peter Black’s factory.

The former factory has been empty for years and Cllr Payne feels the council should not wait any longer for a developer to take over the site.

GVA Grimley, is the agent acting for the site’s receivers and has been marketing the factory for several months, but a buyer has yet to be found.

Cllr Payne suggests that in the short term Wiltshire Council could complete the compulsory purchase, knocking down the factory and turning the land into a car park for people visiting the new St Stephen’s Place cinema complex.

Cllr Payne said: “Ever since I became area board chairman I have insisted on putting Peter Black on our meeting agendas to show Wiltshire Council the strength of feeling in Trowbridge over this eyesore which now sits behind a brand new development.”

Any developer looking to build there will need to carry out electrical and drainage repair work. As an alternative to a car park, Cllr Payne said the council could do the work themselves and then market the site to potential developers.

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “There are a number of parties interested in purchasing this site, including the council itself. Given that the owners are now considering the offers, the council has no reason to consider compulsory purchase.”

Bidders will find out if they have been successful at the end of this month.