A £7 million development in the heart of Tidworth has been given the nod from Wiltshire Council.

The new civic centre, which replace the "ageing" centre in the heart of town, will combine facilities for the community and for the police, with the office of the police and crime commissioner in Wiltshire having pledged to cover a third of the costs.

The tender has already gone out for the work, with the mayor of Tidworth, Councillor Mark Connolly, saying: “Tidworth Town Council has issued notice to contract and already about a dozen potential contractors have expressed an interest. We will shortlist the best six in August and will award the contract to the preferred bidder in January.

“The council has started the process to seek a loan from the Public Works Loans Board for a loan of £4m.”

The building will sit next to the war memorial erected in 2017. In its tender document, the council says it wishes “to provide a community civic centre that will be a modern and flexible building for the community, fit for the 21st century.”

It says the current building has “reached the end of its useful life” and that its replacement will have “greatly enhanced facilities to meet the diverse needs of residents.”

The building will combine both a community centre for the town, which is planned to contain a main hall, community radio, council offices and meeting rooms alongside facilities for the area’s community policing teams. The Tidworth team will move into the building, as will Amesbury, with proposals to sell off the former buildings following this change.

The site was given planning approval on July 15, with no objections raised by those consulted on the plans.

The council is now looking for a contractor for the work, with the council hoping to encourage them to employ local tradespeople in the build. Work needs to begin within three years, with delivery of the new site planned for between June 2022 and October 2023.