Council rejects strongly opposed 380-home development on former Bucks golf course

Bucks Council turned down plans by Biddulph (Buckinghamshire) Ltd for 380 homes on land between Lodge Lane and Burtons Lane in Little Chalfont, broadly for its impact on the Green Belt.

The scheme, which saw more than 1,100 objections as well as pushback from several politicians including Liberal Democrat MP for Chesham and Amersham, Sarah Green, was revealed in December last year.

It affected part of the former golf course, and Homestead Farm.

Plans outlined the demolition of all existing buildings and the erection of (approx. 213) residential properties (163 houses and 50 flats), including 152 affordable homes, 15 custom builds, a 100-unit retirement village and a 60-bed care home.

A new vehicle access off Burtons Lane was also proposed, as was improvements to a Lodge Lane access, and works to Lodge Lane itself and Church Grove.

There was also mention of a local centre, community building, and an area for a new primary school.

But councillors agreed with a planning officer recommendation for refusal on grounds of “inappropriate development” in the Green Belt, including spatial and visual harm. It also said it would result in loss of agricultural land and a “significant scale of urbanising development”.

“Overall, the harm to the Green Belt will be very substantial,” a report reads. “It has not been demonstrated that the proposed development would not have an unacceptable impact on the natural environment.

“The layout of the development represents poor design quality. The street network proposed is considered disconnected and the proposal does not respond to the surrounding character.

“The supporting transport assessment is inadequate, and it is therefore not possible to conclude that the additional traffic likely to be generated by the proposal would not adversely affect the safety and flow of users of the existing road network. Similarly, the proposed development will not achieve safe and suitable access.”

“The access and egress proposed would not be acceptable,” said Bucks Council Leader Martin Tett.

“The changes to the Burtons Lane/A404 junction would destroy much of the character of Little Chalfont’s village centre and the proposed widening of Lodge Lane would lose the special character of this rural lane and its setting adjacent to the Chiltern AONB.”