A CAMPAIGN group against the community stadium is peddling spin and myths, council leader Lesley Clarke claims.

The Councillor, who heads the Conservative controlled Wycombe District Council, has hit out action group GASP, over information it has given out.

But the comments have sparked an angry backlash, with counter claims from GASP that officials have 'peppered' a factsheet with 'spin' – using probables rather than definitive statements.

Cllr Clarke told the Free Press: “The thing I do worry about with GASP is that they're not being 100 per cent truthful.

“It's not going to be 240 acres used for the stadium. We're not going to be building 1,000 houses.

“I don't mind people talking about issues where they've got problems, but let's be honest, let's tell the truth, let's not peddle the myths, let's not do the spin.”

She said: “They try to say Conservatives support Greenbelt and AONB, yet they're quite happy to put this into greenbelt.

“It's not the district council that are doing the planning application, it's the clubs.

“They're bending the facts a little.

"It's quite easy to use people's fears and worries and accentuate that and that's what they're doing.”

The Abbey Ward representative said there were “so many issues still yet to cover” and said residents should look at WDC's recent factsheet on its website.

“If we find things in the feasibility study which don't work well, we will stop it, it just won't go ahead,” she said.

“If it's not financially viable it would be daft to do it.”

GASP Chairman Gary Nuttall said: “WDC keeps claiming there are rumours and myths being spread and yet each time, they fail to substantiate any of their 'facts'.

“Their latest factsheet is peppered with phrases which are clearly spin. Take a look at the words used… 'could', 'should', 'potential', 'suggests', 'probably', 'possibly'.

“If WDC wishes to state things as facts then let’s see some substance instead of spin.”

GASP want to see definitive statements on aspects such as the future of gliding, he said.

Mr Nuttall said details on the proposed layout of the stadium were only disclosed after Freedom of Information requests – which WDC had fought.

GASP does not claim the stadium and adjoining sports village will take up all the 240 acres on the site, but a “major proportion”, he said.

“That's not even taking into account any additional harm to Green Belt that the building of new roads or access routes will incur,” he said.

Unanswered questions remain over the number of houses to be built as part of the 'enabling development', the likely costs of the stadium and the amount WDC would pay towards this, Mr Nuttall said.

He questioned how WDC's planning department will remain impartial after WDC has already spent £500,000 investigating the scheme.

He added WDC's scrutiny committee had clearly stated the 'very special circumstances' to over ride Green Belt policy had not been shown.