Prehistoric remains from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages that may reveal Marlow’s origins could be buried under tonnes of soil before they can be properly investigated, the chairman of an archaeology society fears.

Peter Borrows, who heads up Marlow Archaeology, say plans to investigate remains on Low Grounds Farm, near Pound Lane, have hit a “snag” because acceptable terms of entry onto the site have not been agreed by the landowner, the Environment Agency (EA) – who are working on the site - and the society.

The lack of agreement has meant that the society has lost out on funding for the project from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Marlow Flood Alleviation Scheme includes a flood compensation reservoir to provide storage for water that would otherwise have flooded properties in the Pound Lane area.

To construct the reservoir, soil will have to be removed from an area of the farm, with some of the excavated material placed on site and the remainder carted off to Gossmore Lane to form a flood barrier.

However, the fill area at Low Grounds contains archaeological remains dating from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, which were identified by Marlow Archaeology investigations in the early 2000s.

Mr Borrows says at that time excavation was not appropriate, but, because the flood scheme will “cover them to a greater depth” and prevent later excavation, the planning consent for the scheme included a requirement for investigation of these features.

After they failed to reach an agreement, the Agency suggested contracting Marlow Archaeology to undertake the work under their own powers, but the society was advised not to as it could involve a legal challenge.

Mr Borrows said: “Of course, we are still eager to do the work, although we must have a legal agreement in place and the necessary funding before we can start. But time is running out and it looks as though Marlow’s heritage could be the loser as a result of the Agency’s present lack of an access agreement.”

The society is now waiting to hear back from the EA after proposing “minor reconfiguration” of the fill area to enable future access.

Sue Veal, a spokesman for the EA, said: “Despite extensive discussions with Marlow Archaeological Society (MAS) and the land owner, we have been unable to agree terms of entry that are acceptable to all parties.

“We recognise the importance of the archaeology in this location and we intend to carry out the investigations ourselves, as part of our wider archaeological work on the flood alleviation scheme.

“Recording the archaeology in the local area is important to us as is the timely delivery of the flood alleviation scheme to the Marlow community. We will endeavour to involve MAS during our investigations.”