WORK could soon be starting on 118 new homes on the old Trowbridge Town football club ground in County Way, after years of delays.

Site owners Swan Hill have sold it to another developer, Wilson Connolly, and work is due to start shortly.

Chris Foulkes, managing director of Wilson Connolly Western, said: "The company has had many years' involvement in developing a number of sites in Trowbridge and the acquisition facilitates continuing involvement for a number of years to come."

The sale was agreed at the end of last year but it has taken several months to carry out necessary ecological studies and associated works.

Swan Hill spokesman, Philip McConnachie, said: "It is excellent news that Swan Hill have achieved a sale of this site.

"There has been much local pressure to improve the appearance of the site and the Wilson Connolly development should achieve exactly that."

The new Trowbridge Football Club plays at Woodmarsh, North Bradley and the Frome Road ground, which now stands in County Way.

Swan Hill applied for planning permission to develop the site last year but West Wiltshire district councillors refused to give permission in May saying the developer needed to add more open space and give a contribution to education facilities.

The developer agreed to increase community space by 30 per cent and to pay £100,000 for provision of extra school places in the town.

It was also agreed that the developer would provide 16 homes for rent, an equipped play area and £25,000 towards the upkeep of open space in the town. The scheme was approved in June last year, with 17 planning conditions, subject to legal agreements about the developer's contribution.

This is just one of many changes taking place to the landscape of Trowbridge.

A total of 1,100 new homes have been built at the Paxcroft Mead development on the other side of the town.

Work has already started on the site of the former Ushers brewery, now owned by developer, Foinavon, which will be transformed into a retail, leisure and housing complex.

Another developer, Capitalis, which owns the former Peter Black site, Cradle Bridge and the Castle Place shopping mall, commissioned a plan for the town centre. This has since been adopted by West Wiltshire District Council and the company says could transform the town centre in years to come.