More than 100 people turned out to find out more about plans for new affordable homes in Marlow at a consultation this week.

Developers want to build the new homes on Green Belt land on the edge of town in a bid to help young people buy and elderly people to downsize.

Residents were invited to a consultation on Wednesday at The Perch café by IM Land, who want to build more than 100 new homes across two sites in the town – Berwick Road and Seymour Court Road – and 127 people turned out to have their say.

Consultant Tristan Robinson said it was “great” that so many people had come to air their views and find out more about the developments.

He said: “We’ve had people in talking about key-worker housing.

“We had a teacher in saying it would be really important to include key worker housing in Marlow so teachers can afford to live and work in the town. 

“We’ve had a lady whose 35-year-old son still lives with her at home and his fiancée has just moved in, and she wants them to be able to move out and buy a house in the town, so affordable housing would be very valuable for them.”

Mr Robinson added that there had also been concerns raised by residents about traffic impact and parking as a result of the development, saying: “We’ve said that these proposals are a part of the Local Plan, this is not a speculative application.

“We’re talking to WDC and all the infrastructure should be put in place as part of that Local Plan as well.”

The company said on its website that due to concerns about the loss of Green Belt land, its proposals “seek to provide a sympathetic development ensuring that our site retains as many of the existing trees and as much of the existing hedgerows and vegetation as possible”.

It also said that Marlovians were being “forced out” of the town “by the cost of housing, or trapped in unsuitable accommodation” due to a lack of affordable homes, adding: “Our proposals are aimed at people who are currently forced to move away.

“This would provide a way for people who grew up in Marlow to stay in the town, as well as offering the chance for older people to downsize and not move away from a community they care about.”

Mr Robinson added: “We didn’t want to go straight to the council with a plan, we thought it would be really important to go out and talk to people about the plans first – people who, if anything goes forward, will have to live with it every day.”