Plans for a new leisure centre in Amersham have been slammed by residents who say it is in the wrong place and will cost “far too much”.

A planning application to replace the outdated Chiltern Pools in King George V Road with a new state-of-the-art facility, named the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre, has been submitted to Chiltern District Council.

If they are given the green light, the lifestyle centre will feature a 25-metre pool, gym, café, community centre and library, and the existing buildings on the site – which include Chiltern Pools, Drake Hall, Chiltern Youth Centre and Amersham Library, excluding the annex and Barn Hall – will be replaced.

But residents are worried about the size of the proposed centre and its location, with one saying it is “far too large” for the site.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: “One aspect which most residents will not be aware of is that the portion of the building planned to be on the current site of the Library Green on the corner of Chiltern Ave and King George V Road is so big and block-sided, that it completely obscures the ‘green corridor’ view through Amersham from Sycamore Road, through Woodside Close Green, across the Library Green, and on to King George V Field.

“I think that when Amersham residents see this, their opinion of the proposed development might well change, if they originally thought it was a good idea – it looks like something Donald Trump would erect on the Mexico border.”

Residents have until January 3 to make their views known online, but the man says this is not enough time.

He added: “Who is going to be finding time to trawl through those 57 documents over Christmas and the New Year? We need an extension to that deadline to give adequate time for residents to study & comment on this major redevelopment in their town.”

And speaking about the cost of the proposed centre, he said: “A large number of residents think…[it will] cost far too much, putting the council in debt for up to 45 years to pay for it.”

But CDC insists the plans, which have been showcased to residents across the district, have been met with a “fantastic” response, saying out of 1,963 people who responded to its survey, more than 86 per cent of people were supportive of the proposal.

Spokesman Connie Primmer said: “There is a further opportunity for people to express their views during the planning consultation period via the planning portal and all comments will be considered by the planning committee.

“In this particular instance to take into account the Christmas/New Year period and associated public holidays the deadline for the consultation period has been extended until 3rd January 2019.

“However, whilst we ask comments to be submitted within 21 days, or in this instance by 3rd January 2019, we will continue to accept all comments until the application is reported to a planning committee meeting, which is likely to be in February 2019.

“With regards to comments that have been made about the design of the building, there will be greenery and planting around the exterior and every effort will be made to ensure the new building fits in with its surroundings.

“The proposed Chiltern Lifestyle Centre project will be financed by capital investment, external funding from a range of agencies and turnover from the centre, and is not expected to result in additional cost to council taxpayers.”