WOODLAND close to Devizes town centre, which for years has been used by rough sleepers, is to be turned into a beauty spot by the town council.

It is to lease Newland and Belvedere Wood from the Merchant Venturers and work with volunteers to clear paths so make it easy for walkers to use.

At a meeting of the recreation and properties committee councillors voted in favour of taking over the woodland and to ask officers to come up with a plan of action.

Deputy town clerk Simon Fisher said the Merchant Venturers was already working to clear the land of homeless people and it would be responsible for making sure camps were removed before the town council became responsible.

The land owners will also be responsible for paying for a clean-up programme. He said: "Once we take on the lease we will be working with volunteers on the upkeep of the wood."

He said people from the Braeside educational centre in Devizes had shown an interest in being involved. The council would initially take the lease for five years at a cost of £1 a year.

Councillors welcomed the scheme for the land close to the ancient Quakers Walk bridleway which has been the cause of a number of complaints in recent years. Last year the council decided to turn off the water in the nearby Devizes Cemetery in a bid to deter the rough sleepers.

In April former rough sleeper Persia Summerland criticised the homeless people for leaving behind mounds of rubbish and said there had been numerous acts of vandalism and drunken behaviour.

She said "I know what it is like to be homeless. I used to sleep on a pallet in countryside in the Pewsey Vale but I always cleaned up after myself.2

Devizes Town Council and Roundway Parish Council set up a working party to look at how the problem could be solved. But Eddie Sims chairman of Devizes charity Open Door was worried about what would become of the rough sleepers.

He said at the time: "The problem is that if they are moved on they will just go somewhere else." He called for a piece of land with showers and toilets to be provided so the campers could become legitimate.