WORK thought likely to last between 18 months and two years will start next month to redevelop the southern site at the former Roundway Hospital, which has stood derelict for eight years.

David Wilson Homes, which is building a total of 200 homes, some of them in refurbished former hospital buildings, said it was just waiting to finalise agreements with Wiltshire County Council on the route of the spine road on the site before building work can begin.

Tim Blyth, representing the company, said: "Once that has been agreed the road can be taken through from Nursteed Road along Marshall Way. That will be the route for all site traffic. None of it will come along Pans Lane.

"We have also just resolved all the ecological issues, particularly about bats, of which there are a small number of colonies on the site. We have agreed to put up bat boxes to house them.

"We are quite used to dealing with issues like this and they are less complex on this site than on others we have worked on."

There will be a mixture of one to five bedroom homes on the site, some of which will be social housing, mainly affordable homes to rent to housing association clients.

The buildings that are to be retained and converted to housing include the boiler house, the farmhouse, the annexe, the Wyvern building and the Walnut building. These conversions will be carried out by a different company, but David Wilson Homes will be co-ordinating the whole development.

Mr Blyth said: "The existing buildings will be not converted to flats but to town houses, splitting them vertically rather than horizontally."

One of the buildings to be demolished is the old chapel. The bell from the chapel has been donated to a church in the area, but Mr Blyth is concerned over the future of the stained-glass window in the building.

He said: "We have made arrangements to donate it to the Stained Glass Window Society in London but really we would prefer if it stayed in Devizes. If anyone knows of a place it can go, we would be grateful to hear from them."

Mr Blyth can be contacted at David Wilson Homes on (01454) 620460.

Residents of Drews Park, the former northern half of the county asylum, have spoken of their relief that development of the rest of the area is at last due to start.

John Stevens, who recently stood down as chairman of the Drews Park Village Association, the residents' group, said: "It will be a relief to see the houses finally going up.

"We have been keeping very close tabs on the planning process and it will be a marvellous development when it is complete.

"They seem to have thought of everything and, of course, there will be accommodation for those less fortunate who need housing.

"It has been a long time in coming and as long as they take care during the building process I don't think anyone round here is going to complain."