THE new community stadium would have huge knock on costs at county level at a time of severe cuts, a former county council chairman has claimed.

Attacking the plan, Buckinghamshire County Councillor Bob Woollard said there is not a “worse place” to have a new ground than Wycombe Air Park.

It appears to be “being dealt with in a vacuum” without consideration for a possible major expansion of High Heavens waste site opposite, while the road infrastructure is “totally inadequate”, he told the Free Press.

The air park, in Booker, Great Marlow, falls within the Chiltern Valley ward of Conservative Cllr Woollard, who urged Wycombe District Leader Cllr Lesley Clarke to “think long and hard”.

He said: “It would cost the county council an awful lot of money, let alone Wycombe district Council.

“This is a mega, major project and in its current form I'm 100 per cent opposed to it. Frankly, I don't think you could pick a worse place to have it.”

Last week BCC announced £58m of 'painful' cuts.

“I would question whether there is an urgent, pressing community need. Everyone's strapped for cash.

“We are having to make huge cuts in revenue budgets,” Cllr Woollard, chairman of the county council from 2006 to 2007, said.

He cited “major” knock on costs of the 'enabling development' – an estimated 600 houses – such as schooling, roads and social services.

Much heated debate has surrounded WDC earmarking £750,000 to investigate the stadium.

Last week a scrutiny committee rejected a Liberal Democrat proposal to stop spending the cash, but a recommendation has gone forward to review this again once £500,000 has been spent.

The money comes from the council's capital budget, which does not comprise taxpayers' cash.

Referring to the £750,000, Cllr Woollard said: “I can't comment on WDC's internal decision-making process, whether it's good value for money or not, but I'm looking at what the final bill will be.”

He said WAP was the “the wrong place” due to its position in Green Belt and AONB and the “totally inadequate” road infrastructure which would need “major surgery”.

Cllr Woollard said: “It's almost as if this is being dealt with in a vacuum. There is now the likelihood of major expansion of High Heavens - for a transport hub to be built there - which I'm against.”

There would be refuse vehicles arriving from the whole of South Bucks and a “flotilla of HGV lorries” removing rubbish, he said.

WDC has insisted it is early days for the plans, but Cllr Woollard added: “I would urge Lesley to think long and hard about this. There's an awful lot at stake here over a much wider area than just Wycombe District Council.”

The scrutiny committee's report has highlighted value for money and issues over the High Heavens expansion and Green Belt.