Plans for nearly 80 homes on Westinghouse playing fields in Chippenham have split the town.

Linden Homes want to build 78 homes on the playing fields in return for funding a state of the art ground for Westinghouse Cricket Club, which has played on the fields in Bristol Road for more than 100 years.

The town council and local residents are bitterly opposed to the development.

But cricket club captain Christian Fry said the proposals for a new pavilion and cricket facilities at Chippenham Rugby Club would be good for the town.

He said: “We’re delighted with the proposals. They would see £250,000 spent on a new facility and would secure our future instead of being a tenant on someone else’s land.

“If it goes through it would become one of the best sports clubs in the region and some of the best cricket facilities in Wiltshire.”

He added: “It’s understandable there will be some opposition. No one wants to see a development in their back garden.

“But it would be beneficial to Chippenham and the whole community. We’ll be very disappointed if this doesn’t go through – we don’t have a plan B.”

But Nina Phillips, town councillor for the Redland ward, is fiercely opposed to the development.

She said: “I’ve been opposed to this from the start and there is a lot of opposition to it locally.

“The town council has passed a motion to oppose any building on green open space which can be used for sporting activity.

“The site is completely surrounded by long established residential areas.

“People are already living cheek to jowl in a condensed area. Building three storey flats there would be outrageous.”

Kat Joad, deputy chair of RADAR, the residents group against the plans, agreed that the area should be preserved.

She said: “This land was gifted to the town for recreational use.

“We want to protect it for that purpose.

“We look out on a beautiful piece of land, why take away an area which can be used for recreation?

“Residents are also concerned about the extra traffic that will be created.”

Once planning officers have carried out their consultation and made a recommendation, Wiltshire councillors will make a decision.

Andy Godden of Linden Homes said: “There has been some opposition but that was expected.

“The planning officers are carrying out a consultation and the town council has asked for it to be discussed at the Northern Area Planning Committee.”

Mr Godden said 30 per cent of the development would be affordable housing and five per cent would be low cost, which is cheaper or equal to the average house prices across Wiltshire.