A DEVELOPER has been chosen to build around 100 homes in Wilton alongside the proposed new railway station in the town.

Regional housebuilder Wyatt Homes hopes to submit a planning application for the site next to the park and ride towards the end of this year after a public consultation.

Yesterday, at a conference on the new station plans, Turley planning consultant Peter Home said: "The development is a partnership between the landowner Wilton Estate and housebuilder Wyatt Homes.

"It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to help support the opening of a new station for a community such as Wilton. I would stress this is early days, we have got an awful lot more work to do and nothing has been decided yet."

He told delegates initial ideas for the six-hectare site include the main development of around 100 homes north of the park and ride with railway cottages on the narrow strip of land between the park and ride and railway line.

He said: "An early layout plan achieves about 100 dwellings, it is relatively low density and one that allows for a higher than average proportion of open space.

"Clearly a close tie-in with the opening of the station is really quite important."

The company hopes to start building next year with the potential for it to be completed in 2021.

The conference which took place in Trowbridge on Wednesday also featured discussions on proposed new stations in Royal Wootton Bassett and Corsham.

Rail expert Ian Baxter, a director of SLC Rail, told delegates they would need to act quickly if they were to achieve an opening target date for the Wilton station of 2021.

He said: "There is a stronger business case for Wilton if you can use existing services and critically if you can extend the Salisbury terminators from Waterloo to turn back at Wilton.

"I want to give an early optimistic feel about Wilton but it won't be easy to do."

He added: "To achieve an opening of 2021 means having a clear promoter quickly, whether that's Wiltshire Council as the transport authority, the local town council or the developer."

During the morning delegates also discussed the potential for shifting the Stonehenge bus link from Salisbury rail station to Wilton allowing tourists to come direct from London Waterloo to Wilton before jumping on the Stonehenge buses.

The new station would use the existing park and ride for Salisbury and the existing railway which goes past it.

Community transport partnership group TransWilts chairman Paul Johnson said it hopes to negotiate a timetable once the new franchise has been awarded next month.

Wilton North closed in 1955 and Wilton South station closed in 1966.