WYCOMBE District Council has apologised to The Bucks Free Press for not releasing a key document about a controversial stadium plan.

It did not provide a consultants’ report to the BFP when asked under The Freedom of Information Act – but did to a member of the public.

The move was branded ‘disgraceful’ by an opposition councillor today. The Act is not meant to discriminate between who asks for information.

The council had provided a 2009 report to the BFP on technical issues about having the stadium at Wycombe Air Park in Booker – but not a broader 2008 report.

This provides key details about the location of the stadium and a planned hotel and new housing at the air park (see below). Planes would still use the site, it said.

The authority has attracted controversy over plans to spend up to £750,000 on the project, to move Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps.

A public consultation will begin in the autumn. Other sites are proposed for the plan, which would include sport facilities for all people to use.

The BFP asked in March for all reports commissioned by WDC from two firms, Alan Stratford Associates and PMP Genesis.

Spokesman Catherine Spalton said: “We would like to apologise to the Bucks Free Press for any inconvenience or confusion caused by not releasing the 2008 report and would like assure them that we will be reviewing their request and ensuring that all appropriate documents are released to them.”

She said the 2009 report provided to the BFP had ‘superseded’ the 2008 report.

The Conservative-run council refused in March to release the PMP reports, saying they were provided to WDC under a confidentiality agreement.

It is not known whether these will now be provided to the BFP.

The member of the public, who did not want to be named, asked for a specific ASA report. They passed it to the BFP which is making it available to download below.

Opposition Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Steve Guy said: “It is disgraceful. There should be a proper investigation about whether they are complying properly with the terms of the Freedom of Information Act.”

He said it did not reflect WDC chief executive Karen Satterford’s statement this week that work towards a new stadium must be ‘completely transparent’.

Cllr Guy said: “They said they want to be transparent – well, they are not being transparent when they are witholding stuff from the local press.”

The council had previously hit headlines over how it used the FOI act.

It blacked out a section of a ‘covenant’ document from the 1960s which set strict rules on how the site must be used when it was sold from the Ministry of Defence to WDC.

Yet the MoD did not black out this section when asked under FOI.

It revealed the park cannot host activity that is a ‘nuisance damage or annoyance’. This led some to question whether a stadium could be allowed at the site.

The FOI Act was introduced in 2005 and has led to revelations in the BFP about the surge in the cost of the council’s former Community Voice magazine, money made from parking tickets and the true scale of baby transfers from downgraded Wycombe Hospital.

Report backs housing and stadium at airpark:

The 2008 ASA report says: “The proposed stadium development, associated car and coach parking and hotel complex will be located on the eastern side of the airfield on the site of the existing apron, control tower and other buildings.

“The latter airfield facilities will be re-located to the north-western corner of the airfield.

“There is also a proposed housing development site located in the south-east corner of the airfield and adjacent to an existing built up area.

“Consequent to this development it is understood that the existing grass runways will no longer be used and that the existing helicopter holding points may be re-located, at least in part.”

It says the height of the stadium, 13.5m (44ft), is ‘well below’ the height at which it would be an ‘obstacle’ to planes.

Ground floodlights would be a maximum 43.5m (142ft) and car park floodlights would be 32m (104ft).

It said lighting ‘might theoretically be a distraction to pilots during night-time or dusk operations’ but there is already a ‘high level of cultural lighting’ as it is a built up area.

The autumn consultation is expected to outline the council’s current thinking on the plan. It has listed a total of 19 sites, though some are expected to be struck off.

Click the links below to read the full ASA report and our stories on the plans.