A chair of a town revitalisation group has commented the ‘controversial’ plan for 80 new homes. 

If the developers’ plans are approved, Amersham-on-the-Hill could see 80 new apartments and retail space across five storeys at the junction of Sycamore Road and Woodside Road. 

Now the chair of the Amersham Action Group Jane Barnes has commented the proposal, which the developer Sorbon Estates recently ran a consultation on.

She said: “We do welcome it, but we are quite worried about the look.

“We are trying to be positive. We are concerned about the fact that it’s very high and will be very dominant.

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“We feel it’s taller than the church, which should be the dominant building in the area.”

Another concern was the pressure on the GP surgeries, dental practices and schools dozens of new homes would create – an issue raised by a worried Amersham resident following the consultation.

“It’s great to have more people but is Amersham infrastructure able to support that?”, Jane asked.

The design of the building is “very generic,” she continued.

“It doesn’t reflect Amersham-on-the-Hill. Amersham-on-the-Hill has quite a lot of heritage and it looks very generic like it could be anywhere.

“We would like it to be as sustainable as possible. Any buildings that are coming should think about the environment now. They have indicated they will take that into account.

“We would also like to see more affordable housing in the area,” Jane added.

The street level of the current three-storey building is home to popular Amersham businesses, including Barracuda restaurant and Mad Squirrel beer shop among others. 

Jane said the area outside has become an “al fresco area to enjoy outside”.

“What I can see in the plans is that they are planning to come out further out to take some of that space. It’s quite nice now and it can be buzzing on Friday and Saturday nights. We don’t want to lose that.”

The group sent a letter to Sorbon Estates detailing all their concerns, which the developer responded to, Sorbon Estates confirmed.

In June, Sorbon Estates submitted a planning application to develop the first-floor of the nearby Montague House into apartments, but this plan was later withdrawn, Buckinghamshire Council's planning portal shows.