Residents in a Buckinghamshire town have criticised plans to build a new warehouse in a local business park, arguing that a multi-storey car park would be a better community investment.

A proposal for the demolition of the existing office building at the former Volvo Headquarters in Globe Park, Marlow, and the construction of a warehouse in its place was submitted by BC BBU Limited to Buckinghamshire Council's planning portal on December 15 (23/08092/FUL). 

The plans detail the development of multi-occupier small-size units and an associated warehouse, using "high standards of sustainable design and construction" to "respond sensitively to the local area" and "fit in with the surrounding industrial uses".

However, some residents in Marlow have hit out at the new plans for the former Volvo building, which has been out of use since 2012 and was partly demolished in 2016, which they feel would be better employed as a multi-storey car park for those working in the business park.

Verity West, an environmental campaigner who lives in Marlow, told the Free Press that she believed that Globe Park was, more than ever, in need of increased parking space.

She said: "Two car parks that were built to help alleviate the lack of parking available for Globe Park employees now have enforcement notices on them from Buckinghamshire Council to revert them back to important scrubland that forms part of the Little Marlow Lakes Country Park within the Greenbelt.

"I would have thought that an appropriate development for the Volvo building site would be a parking facility, to solve the issue within the boundary of Globe Park rather than continuing to impact the nearby countryside and inconvenience local residential roads.

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"There are already many empty buildings on the Globe Park site and building another one just seems like a wasted opportunity to resolve the parking issues once and for all."

In a comment of objection submitted to the planning portal, Clare McClelland, of Bridgestone Drive, Bourne End, also suggested that the site "would be much more beneficial as a multi-storey car park", adding: "This would not only benefit the businesses currently occupying Globe Park as a whole but would also ease the ever-increasing problem of parking within Marlow town centre, which in turn would benefit Marlow through increased footfall."

Martin Watts, of The Croft in Marlow, similarly objected to the proposal due to a lack of on-site parking in Globe Park, which had caused vehicle spill-over onto his road in the past.

He wrote: "Prior to COVID and flexible working, it was near impossible to park outside of our house with the overspill from Globe Park.

"As a local business owner with employees, I really do welcome this development as the current site is an eyesore and just a waste of land. I (just) don't want to see a return to pre-COVID parking mayhem in residential areas."