A PROPOSED playing field, which has provoked heated debate in Wilton, might not materialise for years.

The field, off The Avenue to the north of the town, is included in a controversial planning application to develop a park-and-ride facility in Wilton.

While the park-and-ride site on the west of The Avenue would be run by Salisbury district council, the adjacent playing field would belong to UK Land Command, whose HQ is on the east side of The Avenue.

But, at a meeting with Wilton town council's finance and general purposes committee, officers from Land Command told councillors that funds were not available at this stage to develop the field.

Lt Col Rick Licence said Land Command had planned to relocate pitches at Old Sarum to the Wilton site and use funds from selling the Old Sarum pitches to fund the scheme.

But they then found out that selling the Old Sarum site would not raise enough capital.

Long-term, the site could increase in value, said Col Licence, so they had decided not to sell at this stage but to gain outline planning permission for the field in Wilton and to develop it when funds were available.