DEVIZES is likely to see movement in the redevelopment of the North Gate site this year after Kennet District Council decided to go it alone and act as its own agent.

A planning application is expected shortly for a block of retirement flats on the site of the former cattle market in New Park Street, and the vacant site next door to Brian West Electrical in Northgate Street which is due to be auctioned in February.

Brad Fleet, Kennet's director of community services, said: "It has been a long time coming, but the development of the North Gate scheme will definitely take off shortly. There will be a lot of work taking place on that site this year.

"Contracts have been exchanged on the cattle market site but there is a long time between exchange and completion.

"The small site next to Brian West will be sold off and after that we will then be turning our attention to the One Stop shop in the Market Place."

Although Mr Fleet would not say which developer has bought the cattle market, which closed at the end of 1990, it is widely believed to be McCarthy and Stone, which has sheltered housing complexes all over the county, including in Marlborough.

The site of the former Devizes Motor Company on New Park Street is to become a pay-and-display car park after Kennet District Council gave itself planning permission for the scheme last week.

The council has been trying to redevelop the North Gate site, taking in the former Ford dealership, the former cattle market and the One Stop shop, for the last five years but two commercial partners, Heritage Property Services and Phoenicia Barr, have dropped out one after the other.

After Phoenicia Barr pulled out for reasons that were not revealed, Kennet decided to go it alone. It has owned the freehold on all the property on the block bounded by Northgate Street, New Park Street and Snuff Street, with a few minor exceptions, since 2000.

The car park is planned to the rear of the former garage, leaving space for office accommodation on the New Park Street frontage.

The access to the new car park will require the removal of four on-street car parking spaces on New Park Street.

No objections have been received over this part of the scheme, but tenants of Parnella House, the office building owned by the town council and rented to firms like AKC, objected because they were refused permission for access to the rear of the building where there is room to park up to 20 cars.

They say this would alleviate pressure on car parking spaces elsewhere in town, but councillors were recommended not to accede to the objectors' appeal.

Senior planning officer Mike Wilmott told them: "This refusal does not preclude the tenants of Parnella House bringing forward their own application for access."

Committee chairman Coun John Booth warned that if any individual was given particular rights of access it could affect the rest of the scheme if development eventually goes ahead.

Councillors unanimously approved the application.

Kennet District Council has already turned its attention to redeveloping other sites in the centre of Devizes and has commissioned town planning consultants Gillespies to consult local people.

It has organised two consultation events at the Corn Exchange and has looked at redeveloping the west central car park behind the Shambles market hall, the central car park between Tesco and Somerfield and Station Road car park, which could have housing built on half of it.

Devizes Development Partnership says it is keen to see the central car park redeveloped, but only so long as it includes multi-storey parking provision.