PLANS to build houses on the Allington School site in Chippenham have been delayed because Wiltshire County Council wants more time for talks on the provision of affordable housing and the town's new playing fields.

The county council had submitted an application to develop the 3.8 hectare site off Allington Way.

North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee was due to consider the matter at a meeting last week but the county council asked for a last-minute deferral until the next meeting on October 16.

The county council requested more time to negotiate on the issues of affordable housing and the playing fields.

Chippenham Town Council had objected strongly to the plans because members believed development should not begin at Allington School until progress was well under way at the new playing field site at Wedmore Farm off Stanley Lane.

Sport England, which was consulted about the plans because they involved the loss of the school playing fields, had lifted its objections, providing the county council contributed £25,000 towards the new pitches.

Sport England also proposed that before development on the Allington School site began, work to provide the replacement pitch should at least have started.

The town council believed the contribution was too small when the sale of the Allington playing fields to developers should raise £2 million. Members were also angry because work has not started on the new site.

District council officers considering the Allington School homes bid had suggested that if planning permission was granted, a condition should require that equivalent playing fields should be available for use before building began.

Discussions about the level of affordable housing have been taking place for months, and latest proposal involved the district council taking over part of the site.