Major plans for a new cemetery for High Wycombe were showcased last week – with residents raising concerns over the impact the development would have on traffic.

On Thursday, October 25  proposals for a new cemetery in Queensway, Hazlemere, went on show at the Wycombe District Council (WDC) offices, with dozens of residents turning up to view the plans.

If approved, the new site would include a woodland walk, reflective pools, an admin building and on-site parking.

A new cemetery for the town has been in the pipeline for years, as parts of the Hampden Road site are currently running out of space.

WDC  deemed Queensway as a suitable site, despite being outside the town’s boundaries, and set aside £400,000 for the development last year.

However numerous residents raised concerns over the impact the plans could have on traffic on the nearby Penn and Amersham Roads, particularly on funeral days.

Hazlemere resident, Keith Banner, said: “The traffic is horrendous, queues stretch back for the best part of a mile. We try and avoid going out in rush hour because it is awful.

“The council has a problem with managing the traffic, because no one takes responsibility for it. It is always someone else’s problem.

“It is going to be gridlocked for most of the day by the time they have finished with the piecemeal developments.”

Steve Tozer, whose home would back on to the cemetery, said Penn Road is a “high speed area” with drivers regularly racing their car along the busy stretch.

WDC councillor for Abbey, Lesley Clarke, said the cemetery has been “a long time coming”, adding traffic will have to be carefully considered and the views of residents taken into account.

She said: “We have been looking at this for a long time so I am pleased it is coming to something.

“Traffic will have to be looked at carefully because it is a busy road and we have got to take people’s views into consideration.

“The other thing we will have to think about is parking – particularly if there is a large funeral – there will have to be somewhere for people to park.”

Managing director for Cemetery Development Services, Justin Smith, assured residents there  are certain Highways England rules the company will have to follow to ensure traffic is managed suitably.

He added funerals are likely to be restricted to certain times of the day, outside of rush-hour, to ensure unnecessary traffic is avoided.

He said: “We are very much driven by Highways England in terms of what they will permit us to do.

“Highways will say if we are able to do certain things, so will say, for example, you cannot hold a funeral before 10am or after 3pm to avoid disruption to rush hour traffic.

“If we look at funeral services there will not be more than one or two in a week. The volume of traffic would be very small on a weekly basis.”

Residents are urged to have their say in the online consultation by visiting https://www.wycombe.gov.uk/pages/About-the-council/Have-your-say/Consultations/Consultation-new-proposed-cemetery-at-Penn-Road.aspx