An “extremely contentious” plan to expand a golf range has been given the green light, despite councillors raising concerns that residents will be “living through a nightmare” during construction.

Wycombe Heights golf centre – which lies in green belt and AONB land in Rayners Avenue, Loudwater, has been given the go-ahead to import materials to expand their “sub-standard” golf driving range.

Despite concerns over how the number of deliveries to the site – a maximum of 60 in and 60 out every day – would affect residents in Rayners Avenue, the application was approved by Wycombe District Council’s planning committee last night, with cllr Lawrence Wood saying they had been given “no choice” but to agree to it.

He said: “We must accept this application because if we reject it, we are told it will go through on appeal anyway. There is no point in us going over the issues because whatever we decide is largely irrelevant.

“We are district councillors - why should we be forced to implement policy over the views of the people we represent? I don’t think that is fair or right. We don’t seem to be able to reject an application that we have disagreed with in the past. Our hands are tied.”

Cllr Whitehead said nearby residents will be getting a “rough deal without any compensation.”

He said: “This application is not to build affordable houses that we need, it is so they can sweep up golf balls easier. And for that we are asked to bend over backwards and pass this.

“We expect our residents to suffer lorries thundering up and down their road for 24 weeks. I don’t think that is fair.

“I would not want lorries thundering up and down in the morning when I am trying to get the kids to school or in the evening when I am trying to get back from work. It is going to be awful.”

Cllr Katrina Wood said residents will be “living through a nightmare” with the extra traffic on the “already congested” road at peak times and that the construction work will have a detrimental impact on the AONB land.

However, WDC planning officer Alastair Nicholson, said the effects on AONB land, the right of way next to the site boundary and local residents have all been “tested and found to be acceptable.”

The application was given the green light but no material can be brought to the site and no construction can take place before 7am or after 5.30pm Monday to Friday. No HGV movements will be allowed to take place before 7.30am or after 5pm during the week.