SALISBURY’S war memorial will not be moved, a group formed to draw up new refurbishment plans for the Market Place and Guildhall Square has agreed.

And the trees in both squares will be spared the axe, although further advice is being sought on how to maintain the four largest ones.

The working group set up by Wiltshire Council’s Salisbury area board has held its first meeting since campaigners forced the Salisbury Vision team to withdraw its plans for the square.

Chairman Richard Clewer said 35 volunteers turned up at the City Hall on Monday, and a lot of progress was made.

They decided the Market Place and Guildhall Square should remain two separate squares, and that they should be resurfaced.

More information is being sought on what materials to use, and they hope this will be available at their next meeting in a fortnight.

It looks likely that the underground public toilets will remain in their present form, but the question of where to site disabled facilities and disabled parking will be the most contentious issue.

Cllr Clewer said the group was still looking at whether the two squares should be pedestrian zones at all hours, whether evening parking might be allowed, and whether more disabled parking spaces could be created nearby.

A sub-group has been set up to look into what else people would like to see the squares used for.

Including cllr Clewer, four of Salisbury’s eight unitary councillors were at the meeting. But only one of Salisbury’s 23 city councillors, Joe Rooney, turned up.

City council leader Su Thorpe said 16 of her members were at a meeting of their own, but she could not say why the others did not attend.

The city council has asked that future meetings not be held on Mondays, when its own committees meet, but the working group has already agreed Monday, November 7 for its next meeting.