WYCOMBE District Council has said it is confident a running track rejected by Hazlemere campaigners will be embraced by Little Marlow when plans are revealed this week.

Proposals for an athletic track to be built on land adjacent to Westhorpe Farm will be exhibited in Little Marlow this week.

An eight lane track, car park, off-road cycle way, jogging path and hub for aspiring young athletes have all been included in the plans.

Opening up footpaths to access the seven lakes and Spade Oak Lake Nature Reserve are also part of the £1.5 million proposal.

WDC are confident villagers will back the track as part of a bigger plan to develop a Little Marlow Lakes Country Park - a proposal applauded by villagers.

Charles Brocklehurst, Major Projects & Estates Executive at WDC, said: "There are obvious concerns about floodlighting, noise, safety of access and whether it’s a precedent for other things to follow but we’re hopeful people will see the benefits of opening the area up to the local community.

"I think it should be seen in the context of the overall country park vision, not just as something that we’re dropping on Little Marlow but something that gives them a new sporting facility and a starting point for what they want to achieve there as a leisure destination."

Despite the site sitting on greenbelt land, Mr Brocklehurst is confident the environmental impact will be minimal with an old barn being converted to accommodate track facilities. He said: "It’s a pretty scrubby site at the moment, its landfill with a pretty poor topping so it’s not full of newts and badgers, it’s like a dessert really. We don’t think there is an environmental impact and we don’t think it’s contrary to green belt."

The track needs to be moved as part of a multi-million pound plan to redevelop Handy Cross Sports Centre with the Little Marlow site suggested by the Wycombe Phoenix Harriers and Bucks Speed Demons.

The exhibition will be open to the public on Thursday between 4pm and 8pm and Friday between 12 noon and 5pm at the King’s Head function room in Little Marlow.