CAMPAIGNERS in Trowbridge hope the Heritage Lottery Fund's decision to reject a £5m bid for a new record office in Chippenham will keep it in the county town.
Protesters were celebrating on Wednesday after the HLF announced it would not be stumping up the cash for a new build in north Wiltshire because of concerns over its location and the high cost of the scheme.
A petition with 6,000 signatures was handed over to lottery officials in an attempt to scupper the bid to take the record office to Chippenham.
Campaigner and Trowbridge town councillor Angela Milroy said: "I think we have been vindicated. We have said all along that Chippenham was the wrong place to have it the right place is in Trowbridge."
A spokesman for Wiltshire County Council said the local authority was already looking at alternative sources of funding, meaning the record office could still be built in Chippenham.
Leader of the council Jane Scott said: "This is obviously very disappointing news. We now need to move quickly to identify a suitable and affordable alternative."
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