Plans to build a £2 million boathouse in a Marlow park have received dozens of objections, with residents concerned about traffic and parking issues the development could cause.

The boathouse, in Gossmore Recreation Ground, will provide somewhere for rowers at Sir William Borlase’s and Great Marlow School to store their equipment.

The schools currently use the field at Longridge.

Marlow Town Councillors deferred the application for a second time, asking for it to be re-reviewed once reports from Bucks County Council, the Environment Agency and Sports England had been received.

The Environment Agency is currently carrying out flood alleviation works on the site.

Concerned residents said they were worried about the boathouse using up “valuable well-utilised” recreational space and being “out of character” with the surrounding space.

Tim Lausch said: “Whilst I’m supportive of the development of rowing in Marlow, this is entirely the wrong location for such a facility, when other potential locations, such as Longridge on the opposite bank, have all the necessary attributes.”

The Marlow Society also objected to the plans, saying a boat house of the size proposed is “vastly over capacity for the envisaged usage by the two schools”, while Mark Smiley raised concerns about the “lack of” traffic management and parking for the area.

He said: “During weekdays, Lock Road becomes a virtual single lane highway due to the number of vehicles parked along it using the train station.

“It has become hell on earth with zero passing points along the upper 50 per cent of this road during peak morning and evening travel.”

But resident Angus Bolton said Gossmore was the “perfect” place to build the new boat house, branding the current facilities at Longridge “extremely sub-par”.

He said: “The more central location of Gossmore compared to Longridge would reduce congestion in the town centre and specifically over Marlow Bridge.

“Far more children would be able to walk/cycle to and from training – It would also be a much safer journey than Quarry Wood Road.

“I agree with objectors that as on-street parking at Gossmore is limited, additional rowing traffic could cause congestion at peak times.

“A re-evaluation of on-site car parking proposals would be a sensible response to the issue raised.”

Another resident, Jo Radford, said: “Rowing forms part of Marlow's heritage and it would be a shame if we could not take advantage of this by providing a facility that will allow rowers to continue to train on this part of the river.

“A boathouse clearly needs to be close to the river and the options in terms of location are very limited. Gossmore is already a community area and it is on the river.”