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Secretary of state to make the call on Hemley Hill planning battle.
The final decision on a planning nightmare nicknamed The Battle for Hemley Hill will be decided upon by the secretary of state.
The decision whether to allow a group of Gypsies to stay on the site near Princes Risborough will be made by secretary of state for communities and local government, Eric Pickles, it was announced last week.
Councillor Bill Bendyshe Brown said: "I hope the secretary of state will come down on the side of natural justice and make them leave the land forthwith and return it to how it was before they arrived."
Nine families of Gypsies moved onto the site in Easter last year and started building works for caravan sites.
They applied for retrospective planning permission which was refused. The council then issued them with an enforcement notice stating they had to vacate the site and return the land to it original state.
Wycombe District Council has a status quo injunction placed on the site, banning any further development.
The Gypsies have appealed both decisions and because the situation has reached national attention the planning inspectorate has referred it to the secretary of state.
The Gypsies bought the land for a fee believed to be around 40,000 but they were unlikely to get planning permission for development because the area is both in the Green Belt and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
They moved into the site on Easter Friday last year and began preparing a site for nine caravans with 6ft fences around each pitch.
Because it was bank holiday weekend it was three days before the council could be alerted and by then the majority of the work had been finished.
After establishing the site the Gypsies applied for retrospective planning permission and lodged an appeal when that was rejected. They are also appealing against a council "enforcement notice" which gave them 28 days to leave.
A report and recommendation will be forwarded to the secretary of state, who will make a decision based on the planning inspectorate's recommendation. The secretary of state said the appeals decision has been referred because it involves significant development in the Green Belt.
The secretary of state will make his decision on or before December 7.
The current injunction prohibits all further development including laying of hardcore and swapping of caravans or replacement of the caravans with mobile homes.
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Weather for Aylesbury
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 9 C to 10 C
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Wind direction: South west
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