A WOOTTON Bassett golf club looks set for expansion after development plans got the backing of the town council.

A new nine-hole course is planned at the Wiltshire Golf and Country Club.

The club owned by former newspaper magnate Eddy Shah intends to buy another 95 acres for the development, which will include a redesign for five holes of the existing course.

Mr Shah attended the council's planning committee meeting to explain the details. He told members of the committee there would be an extensive tree-planting scheme, using indigenous species, and that lakes would be created, helping the drainage.

The work is intended to start in September and last four weeks.

Coun Chris Wannell was at the meeting.

He said: "The proposal received general support. We hope it might bring business to the area.

"Mr Shah was asked a number of questions, particularly about his intentions regarding landscaping and public footpaths.

"In general we thought it would be a good thing and bring more people to the area.

"Most of the people I spoke to around the town have welcomed this."

Eddy Shah at one stage owned two national and 60 local newspapers.

In the newspaper industry he took on the unions and created Britain's first colour newspaper Today.