A transformation plan to create a 68-home development in the heart of Marlow town centre has been refused permission by Wycombe District Council.

Last night's decision to throw out plans for Portland Gardens has been welcomed by campaigners who say it was not the right project for the largely derelict plot between West Street and High Street.

Developers Crest Nicholson have already pledged to appeal the refusal after it heavily criticised WDC for taking an “unfathomable” amount of time to consider the plans.

But the committee overwhelmingly agreed the layout of the estate – which features flats and houses between two and five bedrooms – was too cramped and needs to be overhauled.

Martin Blunkell, chairman of the Marlow Society which has lobbied for the plan’s refusal, welcomed the refusal but said the delay in finding the right plan for the site is frustrating.

He said: “It’s very unfortunate that it’s taken so long to reach a decision that was so obvious right at the beginning.

“We have got a local plan and a framework which they were fully aware of from day one, and six months later we have made no progress.

“Everybody wants to have a development there but in accordance with the brief, we have all contributed to the brief and we expect it to be followed.”

Portland Gardens has been earmarked for housing, after a failed attempt to build a Waitrose store.

A Portlands Development Brief was then drawn up with input from councils, businesses and residents.

Cllr Alex Collingwood, who represents Marlow, called Portland Gardens the "key site in the town centre for the next 20 years."

An original planning application for 70 homes was submitted in August, and has since been revised. It has received over 30 objections and over 25 letters of support.

Council officers recommended the project for refusal for several reasons, including its design, parking layout and lack of amenity space for residents.

The highways authority Bucks County Council registered no objection to the scheme.

Fears over the amount of affordable housing provided proved unfounded after new government guidance allowed developers a ‘credit’ for reusing vacant buildings.

But with no legal agreement in place with Crest Nicholson for the affordable housing or highway works on the Malthouse Way access road, these became a further reason for the refusal.

Cllr Neil Marshall, who represents Marlow, said: “It [the application]is compromised by what we’re trying to achieve on this site. It closely follows the brief and it is strong architecturally but it is in the detail.

“They are trying to fit to fit everything in, and there are a lot of tandem parking spaces and when you have so many buildings it will end up with a very congested town centre.

“They cannot deliver what they are trying to deliver with all those compromises on site.”

Developers have strongly disagreed with the criticism and have hit back at WDC over the time it has taken to rule on the application, which was originally submitted in August and has since been revised.

In a strongly worded letter to WDC’s planning department, Crest Nicholson’s regional chairman Tim Beale said: “Each month of planning delay costs Crest approximately £55,000 in finance costs which is clearly a direct effect of the poor performance of Wycombe planning department.

“This is clearly an unfathomable amount of time to determine a planning application, particularly on an allocated housing site.”

Crest Nicholson say they will appeal and may claim for the loss of revenue from WDC should it be overturned.