PLANS for the £2 million extension to Malmesbury Abbey will be officially unveiled on Tuesday.

It is the first major work to the structure in more than 500 years and the extension will be placed in the position of the old West Tower, which collapsed at the end of the 16th century.

The ambitious project will see three storeys built on the site to house a visitor's centre, an exhibition area, a conference centre and space for community groups.

Renowned architect Ptolemy Dean, from the BBC TV series Restoration, has designed the plans, which will go on display at the presentation to be held at the abbey at 7.30pm.

Mr Dean was the architect for the £3.9 million extension to Southwark Cathedral in London, which was completed in 2000.

Floor plans of the building have been on display in the abbey since Sunday, although a final finished drawing will not be available until all groups have been consulted.

The project steering group is still in discussion with English Heritage, which has made clear it does not want the new extension to be a replica of the Norman architecture of the Abbey.

Project group spokesman David Barton, said: "They have said they would like the designs to be of this millennium and don't want Norman stone work but it will be made of wood, stone and glass and be sympathetic with the town.

"It is a tremendous challenge for the architect. We presented the plans to the congregation on Sunday and we had an enthusiastic response."

Malmesbury Civic trust and councillors have been invited to the meeting and the steering group said it would listen to the opinions of the town before moving forward. Anyone who would like to attend the meeting should contact Bill Wilson on (01666) 823852.