College revamp sparks fears

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: "I'm worried about builders' vehicles using Lincoln Park during the building and about possibly increased student numbers when the work is finished.
"There is already a huge bottleneck at the entrance to Lincoln Park at arrival and departure time, with parents' cars parked in the road. It is ridiculously congested already."
The women added that she and her neighbours fear that may have to pave over their front gardens to make room for their own cars.
"Concreting over front gardens would give the homes and the road a different feel. It's also expensive and inconvenient. Why should we?" she asked.
Neil Matthews, college marketing manager, confirmed that the redevelopment plans have only just been submitted to Chiltern District Council (CDC) and that if the application is successful, construction should start in 2010 and be completed within two years.
He said: "We will do our best to keep any disruption to a minimum. "
Mr Matthews said that the college made its plans available to local residents in June and that it holds regular meetings to keep them informed and to receive feedback.
He said he expected the new campus to have space for 1720 students and that the footprint for the new building would be smaller than the original building. He confirmed that the 280 car parking spaces currently available at the college would be maintained and that further spaces for bicycles and motorbikes would be created.
"We have made the case very strongly with CDC that we need parking spaces," he said.
Mr Matthews explained that the college has introduced a free shuttle bus to and from Amersham station and that one Lincoln Park resident had indicated that this seems to have alleviated parking and traffic problems.
He said that the original 1960s buildings on the Amersham campus are to be replaced by buildings that are more in tune with modern teaching methods and more environmentally friendly.
"The new building will be more energy and space-efficient," he said.
A spokeswoman for CDC said that as far as she was aware, the planning application has not yet been received by the council.