A new campus for Devizes that would bring together council, leisure, library and health services could be started in just over a year.

Nigel Carter, chairman of the Devizes campus development team, told The Trust for Devizes that the campus was most likely to be built either on the police station site in New Park Street or on land next to Devizes School.

It was expected to begin construction in early 2016.

He said: “The campus is intended to bring those council services most keenly needed locally – housing and other benefits, access to planning, documentation, registration of births and deaths – together with leisure, library and community and voluntary services into a single entity, although not necessarily a single site.”

He said that after Wiltshire Council took over from the old district councils and many buildings, including the Kennet District Council offices at Browfort, were vacated many council services were not easily accessible to some people.

Wiltshire Council has already pushed ahead with hubs in other towns including Corsham and Melksham.

A consultation has been carried out in Devizes on what people want to see on the campus.

Mr Carter said: “One off-the-wall request was for an ice rink. However, for the majority, a central location was preferred but, in addition to the conventional services and facilities proposed, a specific request was made for improved medical provision.”

A total of 40 council, community and voluntary groups were spoken to.

Mr Carter said: “Their responses were largely positive and the broad expectation is for a campus which will embrace the current leisure centre, may consolidate the library facility in a different location and would offer a range of services as well as access to multi-use space, consulting-counselling rooms, some additional fitness-therapeutic facilities, a training pool, as well as IT and other services.”

But he said the response from local general practices over potential medical provision had been limited to the possibility of locating some counselling services in the campus.”

The development team would do another round of consultation before a business plan went to Wiltshire Council cabinet in mid-2015. He hoped construction would begin early in 2016.

He said: “Much will depend upon the choice of a site. Currently, two are under consideration – the site of the Borough Police Station, between New Park Street and the Wharf, and a greenfield site adjacent to Devizes School – but the final decision is by no means certain.”