Former Calne fire station to get £250,000 revamp

The town council has taken control of the building from Wiltshire Council

A revamp costing an estimated quarter of a million pounds is planned for a town's former fire and ambulance station.

The station, in the centre of Calne in Wiltshire, will be refurbished and used for community groups.

The town council has taken control of the Grade II-listed building from Wiltshire Council.

During the county council's ownership, the town council asked for the building to be fixed, but says no work was done.

Mayor of Calne, councillor Tony Trotman, said: "We lost our borough status in 1974 and the building was passed on to North Wiltshire District Council then to Wiltshire Council and since those days the building has deteriorated.

"Surveys suggest it'll take about a quarter of a million pounds to make sure the listed building was safe to use and we have just been allowed to take it over."

Mr Trotman said a new building survey would be carried out and the town council would either go to the public works loan board or use its own funds for the improvements.

He added: "We've got a lot of volunteers in Calne who've got community groups that could use it.

"It might be valuable as a youth centre for example."

The fire and ambulance station was first based there in 1888, but Mr Trotman said the building was "too small" to be used as a base for the emergency services now.