GAZETTE & HERALD: Calne Town Council's sports facilities working group unanimously backed plans to continue with the Beversbrook Playing Fields Project with Calne Town Football staying put at Bremhill View.

The town council's sports facilities working group met privately on Monday to discuss their next step.

In the meeting the town councillors decided the best way forward was to allow the football club to stay, despite angry comments made last week.

An extraordinary meeting will now be held on Wednesday next week to make a final decision after the bombshell dropped during a funding meeting last week. Club chairman Steve Walker revealed at the meeting the club would prefer to stay at Bremhill, their home of more than 40 years, despite four years of graft by the council to make the move possible.

Mr Walker said club officials felt so much money had been spent bringing the Bremhill site up to Western League standards, it would be a shame to demolish it.

He branded a new football pitch a chronic waste of money, estimating it to cost between £300,000 to £400,000.

Mr Walker said there were also fears over rental costs at Beversbrook, its location and whether fans would be willing to travel.

Chairman of Amenities for Calne Town Council and the working group, Coun Colin Viner, said he hopes the situation is a blessing in disguise.

"The town council and clerk had all worked so long and hard on plans that the football club was moving to Beversbrook.

"At the meeting about funding to carry the project forward all of a sudden they dropped it into the conversation that they were not moving.

"It changed everything. They have moved the goalposts.

"We are hoping, though, that this won't affect the funding at all because the football club will still be on board as they will want facilities such as training pitches."

Coun Viner said he felt the football club got the jitters about the project due to the cost and said the council would still be looking at funding through various sporting clubs.