PEOPLE will have to live with the prospect of large-scale housing development in the county over the next 20 years, says Buckinghamshire County Council's cabinet member for planning.

Speaking at last month's county council meeting, where members were bemoaning the disappearance of Buck's green fields and the lack of good roads and railways, Cllr Rodney Royston said: "No one likes change. All of us have had, at some time, to accept it."

"It wasn't our bright idea and we have no option in the long term."

Overall annual house building rates in south eastern England will be decided in July by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA).

Cllr Royston said once they were decided, district councils had to find the best places for the houses.

Thousands of houses will be built in Aylesbury, Aylesbury Vale and Milton Keynes and there are two problems associated with this.

Council leader David Shakespeare said: "We live in a beautiful part of the countryside and don't expect to see building programmes forced on the county from outside."

People are worried that more people will travel south from Aylesbury to jobs in London and south Bucks and vice versa putting more pressure on roads though the Chilterns.

Cllr Royston said the intention in Aylesbury was that the number of homes and jobs would match. But, the world being what it was, some people would want to work elsewhere. He added it was difficult to get SEERA to accept that there would be people travelling south of Aylesbury as well as north to Milton Keynes.