Flooding concerns have held up plans to create 76 new flats in the office blocks of Wooburn Green’s Mercury Park.

Buckinghamshire Council said this week it required more information to decide on proposals to change the use of seven buildings at the business park to residential.

Planners said detailed evacuation plans must be provided to ‘safeguard’ future residents of the site from flooding.

Environment Agency information shows that flooding occurs from the River Wye, which runs a couple of streets away from the site.

An area to the east of the business park is classed as being within ‘Flood Zone 2’, meaning there is between a 1 in 1000 and 1 in 100 annual probability of flooding.

However, planning officers said there was ‘no risk of flooding’ to buildings, although access and exit routes would be impacted via Wycombe Lane, which they said was ‘vulnerable’ to flooding.

Several flooding mitigation measures will be provided if the council permits the conversion of the offices.

These include flood proof doors, as well as higher air vents, heating systems and water, electricity, and gas meters.

Plans submitted by applicant Mercury Park Ltd say the layouts of its proposed flats include ‘generous floor areas’, access to natural daylight and ‘good levels of storage’.

However, the plans have attracted around 20 objections, including from Claire Muhley, who said she was worried future residents of the site might own 140 cars between them, which could further impact local roads ‘already busy and plagued by potholes’.