UPDATED AT 4.05pm.

COUNCIL chiefs have earmarked £140,000 next year to find a new home for Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps.

The Wycombe District Council cash is for ‘feasibility’ study work in the 12 months from April.

The council has caused further controversy as it intends to invest in the building of the facility.

Newly released figures also show £80,000 feasibility cash was put aside this year, 2009/10 with £140,000 for next year, 2010/11.

The council earlier said it ‘cannot say’ how much of the £80,000 had been spent.

Yet this afternoon spokesman Sue Robinson said: “We have made a provision of £80,000 to be spent this financial year on commercial feasibility work and anticipate this will be used.”

She said she anticipated a further £140,000 would be spent next year.

She added: “However, at this stage we are not providing month by month expenditure figures to the local press.”

A total £500,000 has been earmarked for studies in the coming years and ‘will be dependent on whether or not the project goes ahead’ she said.

“The stadium, as local people will appreciate, represents a very major undertaking for the town, the district and its community and a lot of preparatory and research work has to go on in order for the council to make an informed and well founded decision, one way or the other, about whether it will invest in such a major project.”

Wycombe Air Park in Booker is being touted as the ideal location for the stadium.

Booker Common and Woods Protection Society this week met council leader Lesley Clarke to discuss concerns over the plan.

Spokesman Hedley Luxton said he was ‘not re-assured’.

He said: “We have a cash-strapped council putting money into what is essentially a private enterprise for no benefit to Wycombe at all.”

He said the development would cause traffic headaches as other sporting facilities and possible housing and a hotel are planned.

Mr Luxton said: “I don’t think the people in Booker see any need for it whatsoever.”

The organisation are seeking members’ views and Mr Luxton said none had so far supported the plan.

The council has said it will sell land to pay for its investment, which would bring it a cash return once up and running.

It would massively benefit residents as extra facilities such as cricket, hockey and indoor sports are planned for the site, they say.

It would also keep rugby giants Wasps in the town, bosses argue. Owner Steve Hayes has warned the club could leave if a bigger stadium is not found.

Click the link below for more stories on the scheme. See tomorrow’s Bucks Free Press for your letters about the plan.