Plans have been approved to transform a key site in the heart of Trowbridge town centre in Wiltshire.

The plans for the former Bowyer's factory site, which has been vacant since 2008, include:

• A new gateway development, providing 255 new homes for first time buyers, young families and downsizers

• A new cultural quarter made up of micro businesses, food and drink, art and independent retail, helping drive footfall and spend in the town centre

• A new public amenity and ecology space alongside the riverside, which will be regenerated, complementing the work that is already being done as part of the investment via the Future High Streets Fund

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• New cycle and pedestrian links from the station to the town centre.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Wiltshire Council's Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: "We are delighted with yesterday's decision. Of all our towns in Wiltshire, Trowbridge is the town centre which is most in need of regenerating. Innox Mills is a difficult brownfield site that has festered for decades and been a blight on the whole area. What is proposed is highly imaginative and creative and above all demonstrates a commitment and belief in Trowbridge. It combines preservation, sensitive refurbishment of heritage assets, new homes and new amenities. These all align with the council's aims of having vibrant, well-connected communities. This is very good news for Trowbridge and Wiltshire."