A COUNCILLOR has said the residents of Princes Risborough think 2,500 new homes are too many for the town.

Wycombe District Council is working on a new long term plan on where is best to build homes and create jobs up until 2031.

The options consultation has now closed and the council will collate responses to view during the summer.

For the town of Princes Risborough three options were put forward- 450, 1,000 or 2,500 new homes.

Cllr Bill Bendyshe-Brown, county, district and town cllr, said the general view he has received is the infrastructure isn't in place to deal with a large amount of housing.

He said there are also no business opportunities in the town.

Cllr Bendyshe-Brown said: "If you build those houses here you end up as a dormitory town.

"We have a requirement to build 25 houses to meet population needs here. We believe 450 houses can more than meet our requirements up to 2031 as long as it is contained within the existing town boundary."

Peter and Lesley Lunnon from the town wrote to the Free Press and said Princes Risborough is "one of the last surviving pretty market towns in the area."

They said previously WDC always accepted the railway line as the barrier to any expansion to the town, until now, and raised concerns about building on the fields around Risborough, which they believe should have been designated as AONB.

They added: "We have urged the planning officers to come and walk and experience this beautiful countryside before any decision for building up to 2,500 homes is made.

"Surely, smaller areas can be found around the district to take the new homes allocation, rather than 2,500 homes being dumped on Princes Risborough and changing the lovely market town forever."

Barbara Champman from Kingsmead, Monks Risborough responded to a comment by district and town councillor, Alan Turner, who said some residents just could not be bothered to respond to the consultation.

Mrs Champman said she did not know about a local plan meeting until the day it was going to happen.

She said Mill Lane was flooded for almost six weeks this winter and there is not the infrastructure in place for such a development.

She added: "We have lived in this area ten years and the problems are increasing, each wet winter. We have overloaded and broken three submersible water pumps this winter, overworking them to keep our home from flooding .

"Several of my neighbours took annual leave or left work early to monitor the water table levels. We do care and want to be proactive and not reactive, allow us to hear about things in advance put flyers out earlier.

"Make websites easier to navigate for the silver haired surfer. We are mid age and computer literate but it was not easy. The council did not want us to complain we felt."