'Apocalyptic' Wiltshire factory transformation approved

The former Bowyers meat factory was a major employer in Trowbridge

A derelict factory site has potential to "transform" Wiltshire's county town, according to a business group.

The state of the former Bowyers meat factory in Trowbridge had been branded "apocalyptic" by leading councillors.

Planning permission has finally been granted for a redevelopment to bring new homes and businesses to the site.

The Trowbridge Chamber of Commerce said it will make people "realise it's worthy of being the county town".

The factory has been derelict for 15 years

The former meat factory was a major employer in the town for half a century.

Wiltshire Council has granted planning permission to redevelop the old mill buildings and the vast empty industrial site, which has been derelict since 2008.

Developer Innox Mills intends to bring 255 homes, and a range of premises for cafes, shops and other businesses, designed for small local start-ups.

Kez Gardner said she hoped the redevelopment would reinvigorate business in the town

"It'll lift the whole town and stop people from saying 'oh dear Trowbridge has gone downhill'", said Chair of Trowbridge Chamber of Commerce, Kez Gardner.

She described how the current site between the rail station and town centre was a "blight" which too often made people overlook the town centre's "great businesses doing really well".

Councillor Nick Botterill likened the site to post-war Berlin

After previous failed redevelopment attempts, the change can not come soon enough for some.

Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for strategic planning, Nick Botterill told BBC Wiltshire: "It looks like something apocalyptic, something like East Berlin in the 1940s."

He added: "It's the first impression people get of Trowbridge and it's a terrible one at the moment."

"We're left with the legacy of all those old sites and factories and we have to be imaginative and bold and creative in the way that we redevelop them."

The factory is now covered in graffiti and shrubs with many smashed windows

During the planning process some concerns were raised over the impact of bringing more traffic to the congested town centre.

"Traffic is a problem there's no doubt about it," Mr Botterill conceded.

"But would people rather have a derelict Trowbridge and still have lots of traffic moving a tiny bit faster, or would they rather have a vibrant, prosperous Trowbridge?

"I think they'd rather have the latter."

Mr Dean is expected to announce the construction firm in the coming weeks

Innox Mills director Jonathan Dean looked around the existing site - covered in graffiti and shrubbery, with crumbling waterlogged surfaces and smashed windows.

"Looking at it right now, it doesn't give a lot of hope," he said.

"There are a lot of reasons to be hopeful and excited. It's going to create a whole new image of the town, it's so important to get this gateway right."

Mr Dean is expected to announce the construction firm in the coming weeks, and as long as the final steps of the planning process go as expected, work should begin late in 2024.