A SENIOR Tory is calling on residents to fight back against a council’s decision to approve controversial plans to redevelop High Heavens.

Cllr Bob Woollard is hoping the Secretary of State decides to call in Buckinghamshire County Council’s decision to allow the Waste Recycling Group to construct a waste transfer station at the Clay Lane site.

Cllr Woollard is calling on residents to use the example of the people power which saw off proposals to build a new stadium for Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps, and rise up against the authority’s ruling.

He said: “The battle is not over. The Secretary of State may call it in, it is within his remit, we just have to wait and see.

“I made a pledge to the electorate at the last election that I would oppose any scheme to place this development at High Heavens and I feel I fulfilled my part of the bargain.

“The Secretary of State is able to intervene, the public will no doubt be aware of this and once they wake up to it, they can make their voices heard.

“You can’t win them all but we defended against the stadium, with hundreds of people acting in unison, so why not again?”

Cllr Woollard said the plan for the 2428m gross building is a “stadium on a smaller scale” and hit out at the county’s highways for not developing the road network around Booker, Cressex and Sands after earmarking the site.

WRG estimates up to 160 vehicle movements would go in and out of the site every day – including 21-tonne heavy goods vehicles.

130,000 tonnes of waste would be sent to the site for temporary storage and bulking, before the waste is transported to an energy from waste facility in Greatmoor.

Cllr Woollard said: “It’s a disappointing result but not an unexpected one.

"It could have been delayed so the road infrastructure could have looked at in greater detail, which I do not believe it has.

“There is no good building a project like this on an unsuitable road network – it doesn’t take a genius to work that out.

“The only thing we’re doing is making the road network even worse. It is case of the council putting the cart before the horse again.”

WRG’s bid director Dan Murphy said: “At every stage of the process we have actively sought to listen to and work with residents and community groups regarding our proposals.

“We are conscious that some people have had concerns and the committee’s decision in our favour confirms that the plans we submitted are robust and will deliver a fit-for-purpose and value-for-money integrated solution.”