PEOPLE in favour of a road going through the Hilperton Gap are angered that they will not get a chance to put their views to an upcoming public inquiry.

Regulations mean that only those opposing the road can speak at the enquiry, not those in favour of it.

Chris Roberts, secretary of the Church Street residents' association, said: "The vast majority of residents in Hilperton are in favour of the road but are not allowed to go along and say so."

People who want to lodge their complaints against the road have already registered to put their views to the inspector at the inquiry on August 2.

West Wiltshire District Council spokesman, Louise Knox, said: "The district plan is an ongoing working document and at each stage of that process it goes out for consultation and people are given the chance to object to the proposed changes."

She said the arguments in favour of the scheme are taken as a given and then objectors have a chance to put forward their opinions at the enquiry.

The battle is already hotting up between those who want a road to divert traffic, especially heavy goods vehicles, away from the village roads and those who want to maintain the green land that many people enjoy using.

Mr Roberts said: "The roads were not made for that sort of traffic, they were made for horses and carts and we want a bypass." Rival group, the Friends of Hilperton Gap, has been circulating a petition in the village, in protest against the road.

Group member Jane Copland said: "People have been objecting to any development for 30 years and we expect a big turnout at the public enquiry."

The friends want to keep the land exactly as it is, as a rural buffer between the village and nearby Trowbridge.

There are fears that building the road could lead to further development in an area that has already seen massive change in the wake of the development at Paxcroft Mead. In October last year developer Persimmon Homes ann-ounced it would stump up more money for the road if it was given permission for further houses at Paxcroft Mead.

Both the Church Street residents' association and the Friends of Hilperton Gap, despite their different opinions on the road, are against any other development on the site.

Mr Roberts said: "We feel that our village has its fair share of houses."

It has also been suggested that leisure facilities could be built to replace the existing green fields.

Mrs Copland said: "It has been used for informal leisure for years and that is how people enjoy it."