27-07-2025
Site confirmed for potential new £100k sports area in town
The location of where a new £100,000 sports facility could be built has been announced, as planning permission is sought out.
The decision to try and build a Multi Use Sports Area (known as a MUSA) in Royal Wootton Bassett was first announced in June 2025, when town councillors resolved to turn this idea into a reality.
The MUSA would include a hard court and fenced area, providing the space for a variety of sports to be played, including football, hockey, basketball and more.
According to councillors, it's been a "long-term aim" of the council, and now further steps have been taken to get the ball rolling.
One month on from the town council's decision to pursue this, a location and cost for the proposed sports area has been confirmed.
Here's how the sports area could look if plans get the green light (Image: Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council) If planning permission is approved, Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council hopes to build the MUSA on Showfield Park, using a £90,000 grant secured from Community First, as well as 10 per cent of the council's own contribution from the Community Infrastructure Levy funds.
"Following feedback from residents, the town council will be installing the MUSA at our Showfield Park and believes this new investment to the park will be welcomed by the local community," said a spokesperson for Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council.
"The MUSA will create an accessible, free-to-access site, supporting one of the Town Council's emerging objectives, Healthy and Safe in Bassett."
The Town Council has also confirmed it is working closely with Scarrott's Fun Fair, which is based on the Showfield, to ensure minimal impact to the running of the fair.
Showfield Park could become home to the town's first MUSA (Image: Google Maps) In order for work on the MUSA to begin, Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council must now apply for planning permission and secure the green light from Wiltshire Council.
Members of the community including local schools and Rise Trust Youth Club will also be contacted to help shape the sports area in a way that will best benefit young people in the town.
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Already, residents from across town have taken to social media to have their say on the plans.
Commenters have called this "fantastic news" and "a brilliant idea", with some raising questions about why a location for a town skatepark can't be found so easily.
It comes after years of campaigns for the skatepark - an idea which the town council said it supported in 2023 but struggled to find a suitable location for.
Responding to the concerns, chief officer Mark Hopkins clarified: "The rules on where to put a skatepark are very different, and Showfield is not a suitable location from the assessment work I commissioned.
"We do have a skatepark working group with residents."
