A new veterinary referral hospital in a Marlow business park has been supported by council officials who say it will “benefit the industrial park”.

Developers want to convert the Vertiv building, in Globe Park, into a specialist vet referral hospital for Marlow and the surrounding areas, which will also run a new animal charity from within the premises.

It comes after the Fourth Avenue-based building was sold to Charterhouse Property Group which will lease it out to The Ralph, the company behind the vet hospital.

Speaking at a Marlow Town Council planning meeting this week, Mayor Jocelyn Towns said the hospital would be valuable to the business park.

She said: “It’s good for the business park because we’ve been trying to get businesses coming in.

“I think it will be a real benefit to the industrial park.”

Cllr Emily West said it was a “great idea” and that she was “excited” for the plans, while Cllr Tim Avery, the planning committee’s vice chairman, said: “I’ve got no objections at all, I think it’s a lovely idea.”

ACD Projects, who will be designing the facility, said the proposal would “help enhance the area’s prestige greatly”, offering 60 new jobs when it opens, increasing to between 85 and 90 over the first five years, and to 180 after eight years.

They said they chose the site due to a “lack of, and an independently verified need for, a top-tier small animal referral centre” in Marlow, adding that it was an “ideal” location to “serve the local population”.

They are also planning to add an additional 32 parking spaces, saying the hospital will require 98 car parking spaces, as well as 20 cycle spaces.

“Speaking about the plans, Marlow Chamber of Commerce Anthony Cox said: “We are all in support of the proposal.

“It will obviously bring in employment and contribute to the economy in Globe Park. We are very supportive of the scheme.”

The plans are being considered by Wycombe District Council’s planning officers and a decision is expected to be made by November 30.