THE future employment strategy for Wycombe district has come under scrutiny as part of the public inquiry into the Local Plan.

Objectors to Wycombe District Council's proposals say they are concerned about a lack of development land for hi-tech industries as employment patterns change in the district from manufacturing to the service sector.

Carl Potter of Barton Willmore Planning, representing Oxford Land Ltd summed up the dilemma when he told the inquiry into the Local Plan for the district until 2011: "Knowledge based industries are being suppressed in High Wycombe. Business parks are needed to deal with the shortage now."

He said that Wycombe had been throttled over time by the lack of "high end" quality sites and pointed to a mismatch between the high quality development and that at the lower end of the market which was well provided for.

His views were endorsed by property adviser Michael Garvey representing William Vere (Properties) Ltd who said the market will only develop in the best locations such as Cressex and along the London Road.

Mr Garvey said: "Speculative schemes along the London Road have been pre-let in contrast to available industrial buildings. Many of these have been on the market for some time and will remain on the market for some time."

The inspector, Geoff Salter, also heard that historically High Wycombe had not been an attractive business location because of congestion and the lack of land for larger office premises as compared with Maidenhead, Bracknell or Reading.

Ian Fletcher, principal policy officer at the district council, told the discussion: "We would not set out to meet all demand. I do not think we want to be another Reading or Bracknell. That is not the direction the town is going.

"My view is that High Wycombe is a unique town. It is very highly constrained. If the market got what it wanted it would be taking greenfield sites."