PLANS to build an extensive sports complex on a 100-acre site north of Calne have moved a step closer.

Calne Town Council has appointed a lead consultant who has gathered a team of experts to prepare a bid for lottery funding and planning application to develop land next to the Beversbrook bypass into playing pitches.

In addition the council has plans to 'interpret' the site of a medieval village where the remains of an ancient manor house and a church have been identified.

Land has also been set aside near Fishers Brook, which will be protected from development and where wildlife will be encouraged to settle.

The proposals for its use are still in their infancy, but the council hopes it will be used for 'informal recreation' and will allow people to access the countryside.

"I think this development will be tremendous for Calne," the town council's clerk Ann Kingdon, said.

"Calne has been at least 20 acres short of open space for a number of years now and other authorities have seemed unable to provide the additional land required.

"It's very exciting to be involved in a project like this and it would be a fantastic facility for the town, which has long been needed."

Calne town councillor Mercy Baggs, said: "It's going to be a fantastic facility for the whole town, it's going to be state of the art and I think people should get excited about this."

The town council hopes to build a floodlit all weather playing pitch, a floodlit grass pitch, another full-size grass pitch, five mini-pitches and a changing room on the site.

It will be applying to the Football Foundation, which is a national lottery funding body, for cash to develop the public playing pitches.

Mrs Kingdon said: "It's been a lot of hard work, but I think certainly the impact on youth teams in the town will be tremendous.

"At the moment there are 14 youth teams who cannot play in Calne because there are not enough pitches."

The council is working closely with Calne Town Football Club, which is applying for separate funding to build a league standard pitch, training pitch and a clubhouse on the site. T

he council and the club, which will lease the land used in their development, plan to prepare a joint planning application.

Mrs Kingdon said she hoped to develop the site of the medieval village, which is protected, into a visitor attraction in partnership with English Heritage. She said the idea was to place information boards around the site interpreting the remains of the village for visitors.

Mrs Kingdon said it could be possible to arrange archaeological digs at the site in the future.

The newly appointed consultancy team, which includes an architect and a quantity surveyor, has until May 31 to prepare the planning application and submit the council's bid to the Football Foundation.