A parish councillor fears traffic will worsen and doctor’s surgeries will suffer if hundreds of houses are built in Hazlemere.

Cllr Alan Cecil says there is “general concern” among residents about the amount of development proposed under the Wycombe Local Plan and if the town has enough infrastructure to cope with the increased population.

Detailed plans by Wycombe District Council revealed to the Bucks Free Press last week show that Hazlemere is facing major development and land off of Penn Road could be taken out of Green Belt to make way for hundreds of homes.

Further land adjacent to the site is being considered by Chiltern District Council, while planning applications for anywhere between 380 and 540 homes on Terriers Farm in Kingshill Road are also expected before the end of this year.

The home of former nightclub The Orchard, Tralee Farm, could also become a housing estate for between 240 and 320 homes.

Cllr Cecil said the extra houses will place extra strain on the roads as well as doctor surgeries and dentists in the area.

He said: “Hazlemere is already chock-a-block with traffic, especially at peak times with school traffic and all these extra houses will add to that. We are at risk of having too many houses with too many cars on the road.”

However, Cllr Cecil says he can see both sides of the argument because there is a lack of housing in the county.

He said: “There is a need for more housing and I don’t want to sound like a nimby but it has got to be in the right places with the right support. I can see both sides of the argument because there is a lack of housing, especially for young people.

“I have three young sons and everyone needs more houses at affordable prices. It would be a shame if our children who have been brought up here couldn’t live here because there are no affordable homes for them.”

The parish councillor also “urged” residents to attend the public consultation on the draft local plan, which will be held at Hazlemere Community Centre in Rose Avenue on July 11 from 2.30pm until 8.30pm.