Traveller site in Buckinghamshire given green light
Permission granted for location at Walters Ash near Wycombe
Plans for a traveller site just outside Wycombe have been approved despite objections.
Buckinghamshire Council granted permission for two pitches at The Hedgerow, Parkwood, Walters Ash, with two utility buildings and parking.
The site, described in the planning report as occupied by a stable block and hardstanding, lies within the green belt and Chilterns National Landscape, just outside the village’s settlement boundary.
Ward councillor Robert Carington challenged the proposal, pointing to an earlier application for traveller accommodation which had been refused.
He told the planning committee the previous scheme had been judged harmful to the landscape and green belt openness, arguing the current application made “limited effort to counter this”.
Cllr Carington also raised concerns about information on utilities and sewage, and said the land had not been identified as a traveller site in the draft Buckinghamshire Local Plan.
Hughenden Parish Council Cllr Yvonne Wilding questioned officers’ conclusion that the development was acceptable under national planning policy.
She argued the impact went beyond the footprint of the buildings, with residential occupation, domestic activity, vehicles and caravans changing how the countryside would be experienced.
However, she stressed: “Our objection is not to traveller sites in principle.”
The question, she said, was whether this particular site and landscape were appropriate.
Planning officers backed the application, concluding the land qualified as grey belt and that the proposal would not cause substantial harm to green belt openness.
Their report acknowledged a reduction in openness, but said the single-storey accommodation and concentration of development in the eastern part of the site limited its impact.
Officers also highlighted Buckinghamshire’s substantial shortage of traveller accommodation, identifying an unmet need for 427 pitches after taking account of recent permissions.
The previous traveller application was refused, although an appeal secured temporary permission for four months.
Agent Phillip Rowe told the planning committee that gypsy site applications could sometimes be controversial.
He said the applicants wanted to work with residents and “be part of the community”.
Mr Rowe warned that refusal could lead to an appeal and an award of costs against the council.
The permission, dated September 24, limits the development to two pitches, each with no more than two caravans, only one of which can be static.
Foul drainage details must be approved and implemented before the development is brought into use.
The application is described in the council’s formal decision notice as part retrospective, covering the retention of hardstanding and an existing caravan.