A future of a new “eco-conscious” pavilion to replace the current “no longer fit for purpose” building at Marlow Sports Club will be debated at a Wycombe District Council meeting this week.

Marlow Sports Club could soon get a £2 million clubhouse if plans, submitted to the council almost two years ago, are given the green light at a meeting of WDC’s planning committee tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.

Last year, the club's then-chairman Paul Sambrook said the current building, which is home to organisations like Marlow Tennis Club, Marlow Riders and the hockey club, is not suitable for the club’s growing membership and the new pavilion will be the first step of an overhaul of the club.

But a number of residents have objected to the plans, saying they are worried about the visual and sound impact of the proposed glass-fronted clubhouse, which will have four changing rooms as well as a bar, a café and a function room which would be hired out.

Ten new parking spaces will also be added.

One resident, Kerrie Paterson, said she was worried about the number of extra cars this would bring, saying she fears the area will be “inundated” with “too many people who might have no respect for green verges, quiet homes and noise late at night”.

And Graham Swales said in a letter that while he did not mind the building of better sporting facilities for the club, the conference and function room would have a “detrimental impact on the quality of life for Pound Lane residents”.

A member of the Marlow Striders, which also uses the club and its facilities, said updating the building to include better access and better disabled facilities “can only be a good thing for Marlow”, while a member of the public, Michael Price, said: “I think an overhaul of Marlow Sports Club is long overdue and the community it serves deserves much better facilities than are currently offered.”

A planning statement submitted alongside the application said the problems with the clubhouse were obvious.

It said: “It has inadequate changing facilities, poor energy efficiency and health and safety issues, a lounge in need of major refurbishment and which is only accessible via stairs and restricted space and amenities for all of its many users.

“The existing building is tired and struggles to meet the demands of the existing sports club.”

The plans have been drawn up by Marlow-based architecture firm Heighway Associates, which lauded the sports club as an “asset to the community of Marlow”, adding: “It would be difficult to overstate the contribution that Marlow Sports Club makes to the community.

“It is an essential contributor to the health and wellbeing of the town, provides an invaluable community hub and secures the ongoing and effective management of the strategically important green belt land upon which it stands.”