New details of the Melksham Community Campus project have been revealed.

Over 250 people were at the Melksham Area Board meeting at the town’s Assembly Hall to find out what will be included.

The centre will cover 13.9 acres around the Grade II-listed Melksham House.

It will feature a six-lane swimming pool replace the existing Blue Pool, as well as a new sports hall, fitness suite, dance studio and library.

There will also be council offices, a clinical facility, an ICT suite, tennis courts, cricket pitch and indoor bowls rink. Melksham Town FC and Melksham Rugby Club will both move to new homes.

Melksham Town councillor John Hubbard said: “It is no exaggeration to say the birth of this project was slightly more painful than we would have liked.

“But I would like to thank the chairman for all the hard work of the SCOB (Shadow Campus Operations Board) committee.

“Some really important points were raised by residents and I think there are some things we will have to think very carefully about as we continue with the planning process.”

After taking questions on the campus plans the Area Board voted unanimously in favour of the positioning of the campus and the list of facilities to be included. They also agreed to press forward with the current plans.

There will be one road into the campus, retaining the entrance from Market Place, while new buildings will be around a central pond.

Space will also be allocated for a potential expansion of Melksham Cemetery. Parking was another contentious issue, as was the potential impact of campus traffic on the town.

A detailed transport consultation is planned with a vehicle drop-off area is likely to be included in the final plans.

The project will now go to the formal planning stage, with the design of the facilities due to be decided by March 2013.