ANOTHER week, another planning debate in Malmesbury.

This time around it’s over whether a derelict former shop in the town centre should be redeveloped into a residential space.

This isn’t any old property though, 6 Oxford Street has been a wreck for a decade now and the plan is to convert it into an 11 bedroom mega home.

The plans do look quite spectacular, with 623 sq metre of prime real estate being turned into an 11 bedroom, four kitchen manor house-esque living space complete with snug and music room on the top floor.

While the proposals are tasteful, and it would certainly be better than the crumbling derelict eye-sore that currently situates the address, the town needs to think long term.

There seems to be an awful lot of new houses being built around Malmesbury, so it does seem a little counter-productive to be building even more, right in the heart of the town where they weren’t before.

That said, it’s a big site and needs a massive cash injection to make it both safe and attractive again, and in some ways, the sooner the better.

It’s an undeniable blight on the aesthetics of the centre of town and as much as losing a shop front is never a good thing, the redevelopment will certainly brighten Oxford Street up.

Malmesbury has been on a steady incline in recent years, let’s hope the town comes to a decision that will continue to benefit the town and its residents.