Joy and questions as Hazlemere track plan rejected

The athletics track proposal, put forward by Wycombe District Council, was rejected by a seven to five vote after more than two hours of debate by its planning committee.

Councillors turned down the eight lane, floodlit track and associated sporting facilities for lighting and environmental reasons – despite the council's planning experts recommending approval.

A question mark now hangs over the future of a “gateway” coach station and re-located park and ride at Wycombe Sports Centre, Handy Cross, given planning permission last month.

What do you think? Leave your comments below. Read our live blog below for details of how the meeting unfolded.

The track had to move to make way for this – and a boss today said the plan is now at risk.

Five people urged the committee to reject the plan.

Hazlemere Residents’ Association 2009 chairman Brian Mapletoft said it was “in the wrong place” and was “like trying to put a quart in a pint glass”.

Councillor Ron Gaffney, a WDC member for Hazlemere North, said transport proposals were ‘insulting’ and the area round the Rose Avenue school suffers ‘gridlock’.

Lighting plans were “inconsistent and contradictory to other applications on a smaller scale that have been turned down before”.

Cllr Gaffney also made reference to the 'unpleasantness' that has engulfed the saga and said he felt Cllr Hugh McCarthy had been “made a victim” and “deprived of his ability to represent our ward.”

Cllr Hugh McCarthy was forced to sit out the planning decision after he warned councillor's in a leaked email they should “remember the officer's warning, if it (track) fails at planning then the coachway project is dead, so we need to be careful.”

Cllr Gaffney said: “This application is much bigger, significant in scale, greater in impact, importance and affects the lives of more local people, both in the immediate and beyond.

“When I became a politician nobody said it would be easy but this project has pushed me to the limit. I just hope for a happy ending and an end to all the unpleasentness.”

Hazlemere South member Councillor David Cox said he was “mystified” by WDC’s choice of the school.

But developer Neil Rowley said it would be a 'great benefit to the community'.

Most activity would be quiet, lighting would be comparable to moonlight and he warned of ‘gross over-estimations’ over traffic, which would be outside peak hours.

He reminded members about the ‘coachway’ plans, to groans from the public gallery, warning there would be ‘no chance’ it could go ahead if refused.

But committee member Councillor James Malliff said the coachway was a ‘red herring’ as a Conservative Government would not pay up – and said it must not affect the track decision.

He objected on transport, location, lighting and environmental grounds and pointed to the weight of public objection.

He said: “There has been more than 1,000 objections to this and just 15 responses in support of it – that's about 98.6 per cent of the people in the area against it.

“And when you put that up against the figures in front of us that the track would be used by about 500 people in the peak summer months – it doesn't make any sense.”

Cllr Margaret Draper said her concerns over lighting and traffic had been overcome and was the only member to back it outright, saying: “My arm has not been twisted by anybody.”

Councillors Brian Pollock, Richard Pushman, Alan Hill and Arif Hussain all questioned the proposal.

Cllr Malliff moved refusal on traffic and noise grounds but was warned by WDC planning officer Alastair Nicholson this “would be easily overturned at appeal”.

Some urged it be postponed to the next meeting so lighting and landscaping can be looked at – but this was defeated twice.

Cllr Richard Pushman, who said he had “never seen an application with so much public interest” urged refusal, which was backed by six other councillors, winning the vote.

This won cheers and applause from the packed public gallery, with residents and campaigners hugging each other in the aisles and outside the council chamber.

Brian Mapletoft said: “We are obviously delighted, there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and the council's full time planning officers were really dragging their feet.

“But we are delighted and quite emotional actually because a lot of work has gone in. You always hope it will work out for the best but you fear it may be for the worst.”

He told the Bucks Free Press this morning that many residents are suffering from “sore heads” after campaigners met for celebratory drinks.

Deputy council leader Councillor Tony Green said of the coachway plan: “It is not good news if it has put the coachway at risk, which it probably has.”

He said: “I’m not aware there is a plan B.”

Cllr Green said: “I think the objections were blown out of proportion and the campaign against it was quite objectionable and unfortunate by certain individuals.”

The council’s options now include a ‘modified application’ and appeal to the national Planning Inspectorate – meaning the council would be appealing against the council.

Sir William Ramsay headteacher Gaynor Comber said: “It's good to see the democratic process works and it shows the residents that they should put more faith in to the process and their council

“We are disappointed we didn't get the track because it would have been a wonderful curricular facility for the school and the pupils.

"Because it is not every day someone comes to you with the offer of a facility like that because we just could not afford it.”