HIGH Wycombe's previous mayor has become the latest Conservative to break rank in opposition against a new stadium – calling the plans a “white elephant”.

Cllr Julie Pritchard believes the controversial plans for a new 17,500-20,000 capacity home for Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps is a “white elephant”.

The ex-Mayor of High Wycombe said she does not believe the project should go ahead amid hordes of council cuts, and fears London Wasps will play their biggest games outside of the district even if a new stadium is built.

Wasps will play their LV Cup clash with Harlequins on Sunday in the sunnier climate of Abu Dhabi and have also played numerous matches at Twickenham.

Cllr Pritchard said: “I just think we are going to be left with a white elephant.

“London Wasps don't bring their biggest games to Wycombe, they play them in London or in Abu Dhabi, so why would that change with a 20,000 capacity stadium?

“Wasps say 60,000 fans watch them at Twickenham but how many of them come here? What makes the club think they will come to a new stadium in Wycombe?

“It doesn't make any sense, in an economic climate in which we are cutting services that improve the lives of people, to plough money into a huge stadium.”

Clubs' owner Steve Hayes has previously said a new stadium is vital for both clubs to 'continue to grow on and off the pitch'.

Cllr Pritchard is the latest in an ever growing list of rebel Conservative councillors to break the party line in opposition to the stadium plans.

Fellow former High Wycombe mayors, Cllr Val Razzaq and Cllr Jean Teesdale, both publicly said they would not back the scheme earlier this month.

As did Cllr Darren Hayday, who announced back in October that he would not stand at the next election in protest against the plans.

Two-time former chairman of both Wycombe District and Buckinghamshire County Council, Cllr Richard Pushman, attacked the project last week.

As did senior county councillor Bob Woollard, who said there was not a “worse place to have it” than the announced Wycombe Air Park site in Booker.

Tory councillors Ian McEnnis and Dominic Barnes attacked the plan at last week's Cabinet meeting, where members decided to move to the next phase of the project.

Chairman of the council's Improvement and Review Committee, Cllr Alex Collingwood, told Cabinet that a case to build the project on Green Belt land had not yet been justified and said his committee could 'call in the project'.

WDC leader Lesley Clarke hit back saying: “Can I take that as a threat?...You made it sound like a threat”.

Cllr Collingwood proceeded to point out the powers of the independent committee, adding a the scheme's proposed 600 home 'enabling development' would be 'twice the size of Marlow Bottom' in terms of residential buildings.

The committee began the 'call in' process on Friday and it has to be confirmed by Thursday, February 3. See the link below for more stories on the stadium saga.