PLANS have been submitted for five new homes on the former site of a Young Offenders Institution in Marlow.

Manoj Bhardwaj of Brockwell Marlow Ltd is hoping to have planning permission for five detached homes in Finnamore Wood Camp in Freith Road, Marlow.

Finnamore Wood Camp was originally built in 1940 as a home for children evacuated from London during the Blitz (the huts resembled a holiday camp).

In 1961 the camp opened as a satellite of the borstal at Feltham. It consisted of four accommodation huts containing lines of small rooms flanking a central corridor.

The washroom was communal and was in a separate block behind the dormitories. Other facilities were in huts between the dormitories and main entrance. The camp closed in May 1996.

The site was then opened again in 1961 as Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institute Finnamore Wood, an open prison for young offenders (18-21 year old males) serving their last 2-3 months before release back into the community. The camp was later used as a satellite camp for Feltham Borstal and then as an annex to HM Prison Huntercombe.

When the camp closed in 1996 and all inmates were transferred to Huntercombe YOI near Henley on Thames, which is still operational as a prison.

The current site is vacant and permission was granted on December 8, 2022  for the demolition of existing buildings and structures and redevelopment of the site to provide 5 detached dwellings, hard and soft landscaping and associated works incidental to the application proposals.

But new proposals were submitted on Wednesday, April 10, with updated designs of the plots.

A number of existing buildings are present on the site, some of which have been present for more than 60 years. They comprise of number of individual buildings and structures in a compound surrounded by dense vegetation and woodland area.

A number of residents have shown their support for the plans, including Robin Teasdill of Berwick Road, Marlow, who said: "I have lived in the area for 62 years and have worked next to it on many occasions. The existing buildings were erected as residential accommodation for over 300 girls evacuated from London in WW2.

"Since its closure it has fallen into disrepair, suffered an arson attack, housed rough sleepers and has attracted vandalism and graffiti artists.

"It is an eyesore in a beautiful woodland setting.

"Given the desperate need for more housing, an obvious choice for redevelopment would be this, thus saving our dwindling greenbelt. The plans for five houses seems low density and once the scheme is sympathetically completed it will be a place far more pleasant that a derelict reminder of war and mispent youth."