A small square in the centre of Devizes is to be given a facelift by the town council in a bid to boost its appeal.

It is to spend £40,000 on replacing cracked concrete paving with natural stone and creating a performance area at Albion Place in Sidmouth Street so it can become a venue for events held as part of the carnival and Devizes Festival.

Deputy town clerk Simon Fisher said: "We have money from the sale of a commercial premises at the back of Albion Place and we thought this area was in need of sprucing up.

"We are also concerned that when Tesco closes it might have a detrimental affect on this end of town so want to try and give it a bit of a lift.

"It is close to the town centre but in the past has not been used for the carnival and other events. We have spoken to the organisers and they are keen for it to be incorporated which hopefully will draw more people to the area.

"The performance space will include sockets for electricity."

The council spoke to nearby shops to ask them for feedback on the plans and they were all pleased about the scheme.

Mayor Sarah Bridewell said: "This is an important regeneration project for the town, which I am delighted the council has agreed to undertake as it will provide a much needed boost to businesses in this area."

The council has planning permission to remove two large hornbeam trees which have become overgrown. It will replace them with one Acer tree at Albion Place and plant a hornbeam on the Green.

Mr Fisher said: "It is always a shame to remove mature trees but these had completely outgrown the space. There were no objections when the plan was submitted."

Work will start at the end of March and is expected to last six weeks.