WILTSHIRE Council has withdrawn its funding from Chippenham Vision, but members are hoping its work can continue.

The Vision board was set up five years ago to produce a masterplan for the town, a blueprint to ensure future developments are co-ordinated, enhancing Chippenham’s role of a riverside market town.

Now this has been published and will be adopted as a Strategic Planning Document, it is seen by some to have served its purpose.

Chippenham Vision had its final formal meeting last month, but most board members want to continue its work.

Outgoing chairman Tom Jacques said: "As far as the council is concerned it's achieved its objective so it's not required anymore and they will no longer support it financially.

"But the consensus I think is that we ought to continue in some form, to keep an eye on the town's future interests. We will keep it as an open forum and are planning a meeting for mid-June as a starting point to have a discussion."

Wiltshire Councillor Fleur De Rhé-Philipe, who has portfolio for economic development and strategic planning, said: "Since 2009 when the Visions were set up, things have changed with the emergence of the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership and area boards.

"The Visions have been successful but Wiltshire Council now has to look at its resources and rationalise support that is provided. It is, with regret, that support from the Wiltshire Council team for the Visions (Chippenham, Trowbridge and Salisbury) will stop. It could be that the area board or Chippenham Town Council takes on some of this role."

But Vision member Chippenham Civic Society said it doubted these bodies would have the necessary expertise or resources to take on the role and hoped the Business Improvement District (BID) would be more successful.

Bill Douglas, who sits on Chippenham Town Council, a fellow Vision member, was also keen to carry on. He said: "We have to take it further forward. Otherwise the masterplan would just lie on a shelf and nothing would happen."

Other partners are Chippenham BID, Chippenham and Villages Community Area Partnership, Chippenham Chamber of Commerce, North Wiltshire Economic Partnership, Chippenham Borough Lands Trust and Wiltshire College.

The Vision masterplan can be viewed at www.thechippenhamvision.co.uk