DURSLEY'S programme of regeneration gathered pace this week as the old library was demolished, while plans for a new fire station were submitted.

These developments come in the same week that the first phase of demolition began at the Victoria Works, the former Bymacks site.

The library building in May Lane, which has been closed since early December, was knocked down earlier this week to make way for its state-of-the-art replacement.

Construction of the £875,000 glass-fronted library is scheduled to begin this month. Gloucestershire County Council had announced demolition was to take place in January, so the project may already be a little behind schedule. The work will be carried out by E G Carter and Co Ltd. of Gloucester.

Meanwhile, the county council has submitted a planning application for a new fire station for the town.

The new station needs to be built because the existing one is on land that is earmarked for the much-talked about supermarket development planned for the town centre.

Like the library, the fire station plan will be assessed by the county council's own planning committee rather than by development control at Stroud District Council.

However, planning officers at Stroud have three weeks from the date of submission to pass on their views on the scheme to the county.

The fire station application is for land near the junction of Kingshill Road and Kingshill Lane, next to Rednock School.

The land has been secured and it is intended that there will be space for three fire appliances there rather than the two that are at the existing station. All the firefighters' accommodation and training needs will be incorporated within the new facility.

Dursley station officer Graham Ponting said: "This is a wonderful opportunity to have a new facility, which will meet the needs of the town for the next 25 years."

The project would need improved access to the highway - and such alterations may give cause for concern to the residents of close-by Kingshill Park, who recently fought off an application to build houses on land near to their street.

They opposed the application and an appeal because the highway access was deemed to be too dangerous but serious alterations to accommodate the fire station could completely change the nature of the junction.