The future of the cricket and football sports pitches in Heytesbury are in doubt after trustees said they were "reviewing their options" - which could include putting the land up for sale on the open market.

Isabel Deverill, one of the Sassoon Family Trust trustees, and a director of Heytesland Ltd, said they were considering their position in relation to the land.

One option is to revisit the previous planning application for 23 new homes submitted in 2017 and later withdrawn following strong opposition from villagers.

But she added: "We are also considering a sale of the land. We are looking at both options but no definite decision has been made."

The news has alarmed members of the Heytesbury, Imber and Knook Parish Council, which believes the sports pitches must be protected for village use.

The sports pitches were originally created by the famous First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon in the 1930s at Heytesbury House for the local village teams to use.

Since 2006, the pitches and parkland have been owned and managed by the Sassoon Family Trust set up on the death of Siegfried Sassoon’s son George.

In 2017, the Trust submitted plans to provide a new village hall and public open space on 12 acres of parkland north of Park Street, Heytesbury, in return for gaining permission to build 23 new homes, including seven affordable homes, on land south of Park Street.

If the application had been successful, the village hall and the parkland to the north of Park Street would have been transferred to the Siegfried Sassoon Memorial Hall Trust.

But the scheme divided the village, with many residents strongly objecting to the plans for the new homes.

In October 2019, a parish referendum on whether to provide a new village hall showed 128-113 in favour in Heytesbury and 11-2 for it in Knook.

Now Cllr Vanessa Sturmey, the chairman of Heytesbury, Imber and Knook Parish Council, is encouraging residents to submit their views by Sunday, June 4.

She said: “The Heytesbury community face some important decisions about its future before it is potentially changed irreversibly.

“The Future Planning Working Group (FPWG) of Heytesbury, Imber and Knook parish council started consulting on rural housing last summer and their work is coming to an end with drop-in sessions at the Red Lion last week.

“The FPWG have produced some possible options for residents to consider and leave their comments on feedback forms, following this the WG will write a report with recommendations for the Parish Council to consider.

“So far the feedback is the drop-ins have been a positive, successful experience. We encourage you to tell us your views about Heytesbury’s future and in particular your aspirations for the sports pitches.

“The questionnaire last summer showed that one-third of respondents accepted the need for 25 houses indicated by Wiltshire Council’s local plan review and two-thirds didn’t.

“Of those, some wanted more, some less and some did not want any at all. Many enjoyed the sports pitches and some want a new village hall.

“Since the recent news became public of the decision to sell the sports pitches and other land by the owners, the football and cricket club representatives and many supporters and residents, as well as councillors have said it is a priority to protect the pitches for future generations.

“Once there is security of the land, endless possibilities open up for future funding from lottery and others to improve the sports facilities with a pavilion and the parkland area could become a beneficial community outdoor space for everyone.”