MALMESBURY Town Hall Action Group, which has come up with a new plan for the redevelopment of the building, voted last week to form a Industrial and Provident Society.

Ian Pollard, group chairman, said the move would give individuals and groups the opportunity to become shareholders in the project.

The idea has caught hold in the town and already one local businessman has offered £5,000 to the scheme.

The three-month deadline North Wiltshire District Council for the town to come up with a new scheme has been extended until April 29.

Councillors will then consider ambitious plans put forward by the Town Hall Action Group which will include a new library, museum, tourist information centre and a small car park below the new development.

Mr Pollard said: "We are using the Brewery Arts Centre in Cirencester as a model.

"The group there got £1.4m lottery money from the Arts Lottery Fund on the basis they raised £700,000.

"The county council is very much in support of moving the library to the town hall, which would cost about £700,000, that could be matched funded with £1.4m."

A previous £1.3m plan five years ago was scuppered by objections from local groups who were unhappy that community space in the hall would be halved.

In the latest scheme the hall will include enlarged community facilities including a performance arts centre and gallery space.

Money would also be raised from residential development planned for the top of the new building.

Mr Pollard said a costing of the scheme would only be allowed if the district council gave the go-ahead.

English Heritage said it would not allow the demolition of the interior of the Grade II Listed building, as required by the latest plans, unless it is proven there is no other use for it.

To solve this problem the action group has asked the district council, as owners, to put the hall up for sale, to prove there is no viable use for it in its present form.

At the same time an application is to be submitted for the interior of the hall to be demolished to speed up the process.