A MASSIVE blow has been dealt to hopes of turning part of the old RAF munitions depot at Chilmark into a wildlife and nature conservation area.

This came when it was announced this week that, after four years of talks, the south-west regional development agency had decided to pull out of the project.

Since the RAF depot closed in 1995, with the loss of 200 jobs, some £2m has been spent clearing the site of explosives, and 160 acres of it has been sold off and is now being used for a variety of commercial uses, including a business park, at Dinton.

But a large chunk remains in ministry of defence ownership and nature and wildlife groups have been striving to acquire part of the land for conservation purposes.

The land they have been looking to secure is classified as having high scientific interest and contains a network of caves, housing internationally renowned bat colonies.

It also contains the former RAF headquarters and offices complex, which the regional development agency was considering revitalising as part of the overall Chilmark project.

Now the RDA has said that, because of protracted and unsuccessful negotiations with the MoD, it has decided to "draw a line under the project".

That effectively leaves the Chilmark Trust - made up of representatives of English Nature, the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and the Bat Conservation Trust - in the lurch.

Salisbury MP Robert Key told the Journal this week that he was very concerned about the situation and would be seeking urgent discussions with defence minister Lewis Moonie and Salisbury district council leaders.

"We need to find a way forward," he said. "It is many years now since RAF Chilmark was closed and a great deal of money has been spent by the military authorities on clearing the site of munitions.

"The site is a real gem of English countryside with one of the most important set of bat colonies in Europe and we cannot allow it to slip into limbo."

Last week, the MoD carried out consultations on the planned closure of another munitions site - Dean Hill at West Dean, which stores conventional Royal Navy and RAF weapons and at one time was a top secret nuclear arms depot.

The depot is to close next year, with the loss of nearly 90 civilian posts.

Last week, representatives of the MoD's defence estates gave villagers and local councillors an opportunity to express views on the future of the site at a presentation.

A defence estates spokesman said: "Now the depot is surplus to requirements, we are faced with complex issues to resolve before the site can be sold.

"However, the site, which extends to nearly 600 acres, including a nationally important site of special scientific interest, is in a sensitive rural location and we feel it is very important the public contribute to the decision-making process."