THE new chairman of Devizes Development Partnership is hoping to be able to use his experience with the regeneration of seaside resort Weston-super- Mare when it comes to reviving Devizes.

Peter Lay was voted in as chairman at a recent meeting of the partnership management committee. He has been vice chairman since the last annual meeting in November and took over as acting chairman on the recent resignation of Devizes trader Alex Duffey.

Mr Lay, who lives in Wroughton with his wife and four children, came to Devizes when his company, the Lay Partnership, bought Agriculture House, the former headquarters of the Wiltshire branch of the National Farmers' Union, and won planning permission to demolish it and build town houses on the site.

The remaining listed building on the site has been converted to the Trees Nursery School, one of four that the company runs throughout the country.

The company, run by Mr Lay and his three brothers, began life as Lay Construction but the building slump of the early 1990s led it to diversify.

It purchased the British Rail Engineering works in Swindon for £9 million but sold out its interest to Tarmac because it didn't have the resources to develop such a huge site.

An interest in marine engineering and ferry services led it to purchase seaside piers at Hythe in Kent and Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.

Mr Lay felt an immediate rapport with Devizes and has been trying to find a home in the area for himself and his family.

He said: "Devizes is a cracking place. I love its heritage and the people are remarkably friendly. It is a market town on a human scale and I can see a lot of scope here to develop it without losing its essential character."

Mr Lay is particularly keen that the first thing the partnership should do is to employ a town centre manager. He believes that if the right person is put in post, the rest will fall into place.

He said: "The town centre manager will work with retailers and landlords on improving the retail offer in the town centre.

"It is important that we create a retail community. We want to make the retailers involved from the outset, so we are not seen as imposing improvements on the community."

Once the central trading area of Devizes has been sorted out, the DDP will turn its attention to the rest of the community area.

Mr Lay said: "There are many areas where the partnership could have an input, such as health, education, and community safety.

"Local remedies are more effectively delivered through partnership working," he said.

Bid to build a new marina

ONE of the projects Mr Lay's company is working on at the moment is the proposed marina on the Kennet and Avon Canal at Lower Foxhangers, Rowde.

Mr Lay looked at the proposal to build the marina, including berths for narrow boats, but recognised the huge problem of access.

He said: "The highway works needed for the site puts an enormous strain on the financial viability of the scheme. They may require the moving of fibre-optic telecommunications cables, which would cost a fortune.

"Some other form of revenue for the project is necessary. We are looking at a number of holiday homes, but there is no provision for these in the local plan and we are discussing this with planners."