You reported last week on West Wiltshire District Council's decision to pass unamended the proposed District Plan, and stated that this scuppered a scheme to provide youngsters in Westbury with 25 acres of new playing fields.

This is not the case.

By passing the District Plan unamended the council has preserved the incentive for Persimmon to continue with their proposal.

If Westbury town boundaries had been changed to include the Matravers land, that incentive would have disappeared. Passing the District Plan unamended was the best option.

The council supports very strongly the provision of playing fields for Westbury.

A detailed review of recreation space needs within the district is in hand and will report later this year. Beaurocratic yes. But we serve all towns and villages and need to get everyone's needs fully documented.

The Persimmon proposal at Penleigh Park is exactly that. There is no guarantee that it will or can come about.

There are substantial and unbudgeted (and unstated) costs associated with that proposal.

Also, any new playing fields could take up to two years to come into use.

I believe there are other alternatives which could be brought into use more quickly.

Westbury is not forgotten!!

M Mounde,

Portfolio Holder for Housing and Economic Development,

Kingston Deverill.