A resident's bid to get Town Green status for a school playing field to protect it from development has been thrown out, leaving the land likely to be sold for housing.

On Wednesday Wiltshire Council’s regulatory committee voted in favour of recommendations to turn down the plan, submitted by Dunch Lane resident Andrew Newman in July 2007.

The land, which is owned by Wiltshire Council, will now be sold after pupils and staff move from the current school site in Shurnhold into the new £32m Melksham Oak Community School in September.

Tina Jones, who also lives in Dunch Lane, said she had been in the area for 16 years and losing the land would be like losing a piece of history.

She said: “As a resident, I can say we have lost something we will never be able to get back.

“The land is the history of people who live here, that have used it to fly kites, rides bikes and walk.

“My children are 17 and 19, they grew up here, they learned to ride their bikes here. We are gutted. Andy has worked so hard on this application and has put in so much effort.”

After putting in the application Mr Newman changed the plans twice, so it only included the southern area playing fields which are attached to the school and excluded the multi-use games area.

To justify his application and meet the requirements for registration, Mr Newman had to show that a significant number of local residents had taken part in sports or used the land for recreation over a 20-year period or more.

He failed to gain the backing of Melksham Town FC, Melksham Park FC and Shaw Hockey Club, all of which use the land, as they were worried that formal recognition of it as a Town Green could mean their right to use it could be lost.

A three-day public inquiry in February, which was carried out by Timothy Jones, a barrister who specialises in town and village green law, recommended that the application be refused.

The grounds for refusal included the fact Mr Newman could not prove the land had been used for the past 20 years for lawful recreation purposes, such as dog walking and playing, and that Mr Jones could find no evidence to prove witnesses ‘ claims there were gaps in the hedges and fences around the playing fields, giving local people access.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Council said: “With regards to what happens next, the school will remain on the site until such time as the new buildings are ready for occupation.

“The council will dispose of the site, which has planning consent for 270 dwellings, at the appropriate time, bearing in mind the move date for the school and market conditions.”