Bucks Council taken to court by family over farmland fencing notice

At a hearing held yesterday at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court, Urusa, Farida and Sadaf Ahmed, appearing in person, and Syed Mubarak Ahmed, appearing via video link, confirmed they wished to proceed with their appeal against a Section 215 notice issued by Buckinghamshire Council relating to land on Pednor Road.

During the hearing, the judge set a number of directions both parties must meet ahead of further hearings on October 19 and October 26, when the appeal is expected to be decided.

Buckinghamshire Council argued there was no basis for the appeal because the site is covered by an Article 4 Direction, which restricts certain forms of development, including the erection of fencing and structures on the land without planning permission.

However, Urusa Ahmed told the court they intended to dispute the Article 4 Direction as part of their challenge against the Section 215 notice.

Buckinghamshire Council issued the Section 215 notice in November 2025 relating to plots 11, 12, 13 and 14 on land northeast of Pednor Road in Chesham.

The notice required the Ahmed family to remove all structures and buildings from the land, along with pallet fencing, poultry fencing and all other fencing and boundary enclosures.

It also required the removal of gates, pallets, plastic sheeting, cable reels, wires, pipes, wood, animal food, buckets, tarpaulin, hay, scrap items, cardboard, metal, tools, building materials, tents, a pool, vehicles, CCTV cameras, wooden posts, barrels, signage and warning signs from the site.

In addition, the notice required the removal of all debris resulting from compliance with the order. The notice took effect on January 1 unless an appeal was lodged beforehand, and gave those served with it two months to comply. An appeal was subsequently filed.

Section 215 notices are powers used by councils to require landowners to address land or buildings considered harmful to the appearance of an area.

Ursua and Syed Mubarak have been repeatedly ordered to tear down a fence that was erected without permission on the land, having been issued with enforcement notices by Bucks Council for the ‘harmful development’ on the land.

A retrospective planning application was made by the landowners in July 2024, describing the fence as necessary to prevent “trespassing and vandalism” in the area.

In September 2024, neighbours spotted chickens and goats at the site describing “substantial further development” in the woodland.

A stop notice was then issued on the land in November 2024 after engineering works took place, including the laying of material and the continued erection of fencing.

It said that the landowners had until January 1 2025 to “dismantle and remove the wooden building, gates, enclosure and fencing” from the land, alongside “all materials and debris”.

In July 2025, another notice was issued in which the owners were told they must comply with the council’s wishes or face prosecution within three months of August 1.

Urusa Ahmed, the sister of the landowner, previously told the LDRS that she is using the fenced-off land to help ‘underprivileged girls’ learn new skills.

She claimed she did not put up the fence and had nothing to do with her brother’s plans.