BLOWING the Vision could lose the backing of Trowbridge residents for more than a decade, says Wiltshire County Council chief executive Dr Keith Robinson.

Dr Robinson told business leaders he would not be drawn into making vows on the Vision, because residents were tired of broken promises.

Relocating the town library and starting work on one of the Vision's five key sectors the Waterside were outlined as the council's primary concerns, with Dr Robinson refusing to rule out a cinema for the town.

"I want to see some action but I don't want to fall flat on my face," he said.

"The public are disillusioned and disheartened at the lack of progress I am not going to promise five things if we can only deliver three.

"If we blow this we could lose Trowbridge for 10 to 20 years."

Turning the library into a joint customer care centre is one of the council's plans, sparking the redevelopment of the whole Waterside quarter, along Bythesea Road, and rejuvenation of the River Biss.

Money generated by the demolition of the library and the sale of county council land could be reinvested in other projects.

Dr Robinson said not all projects could be realised because of budget constraints. A hotel next to County Hall has already been ruled out.

Moving Bythesea Road to cater for a leisure complex is also unlikely because of the £1.5m price tag.

Dr Robinson said: "There are already developers in discussions with us. If people can see we are serious about reinvesting public money in the town, hopefully they will see that this is a town worth investing in.

"It is quite clear there is a big funding gap between what the Vision consultants were proposing and what is achievable in terms of income."

Speaking about the possibility of bringing a cinema to Trowbridge, Dr Robinson said there were mixed messages from developers about whether the project was viable.

Corporate director Ian Gallin insisted the interest was there.

"It is fair to say we have had discussions with a couple of cinema operators who are very interested in Trowbridge as a potential location," he said.

Unresolved issues, including the future of the old town hall, and the potential relocation of the Civic Hall which now looks increasingly unlikely, will have a huge impact on how the Vision progresses.