A housing developer has been branded “unscrupulous and shameful” after pleading with Wycombe District Council not to “destroy” protected woodland and a valued recreation ground by building a road to a new housing development on a reserve site.

Ahead of Monday night’s cabinet meeting – where the development brief for the former reserve site Terriers Farm in Hazlemere was approved – Jansons Property urged Wycombe District Council (WDC) to delay its decision, instead proposing their own alternative plan.

The Beaconsfield-based developer wanted WDC to rethink the idea for new roads into the site, one which would continue from De Havilland Drive, cutting through beech woodland that is protected by a tree preservation order (TPO) and another from Trinity Road through Hazlemere recreation ground.

Jansons owns a portion of the land next to the site and suggested the council could instead create an access point cutting through their land – which includes Totteridge Common - in a bid to save the woodland and Hazlemere recreation ground.

However, Jansons’ suggestion has been branded “opportunistic” by Terriers and Amersham Hill councillor Tony Green, who blasted the developer for its “disgraceful” approach.

He said: “Frankly I think it is disgraceful. When Jansons originally did a consultation on the Terriers House application, I was assured that the cricket pitch and open space would be incorporated into their development at the back of Terriers House as open amenity space.

“Of course, what they went and did when they got planning permission, they sold off various bits of the site to other developers, leaving this cricket ground in their own ownership in the hope of getting a second bite of the cherry.

“I think that is unscrupulous and it is shameful and I'm pleased officers don’t think it will make a good entrance. I would be horrified if the entrance was put over the common land that links the A404 with the cricket ground. I thank the officers for turning it down.

“Jansons are now stuck with a bit of land they can’t do anything with and I think that serves them right.”

Planning chief Cllr David Johncock added: “I wish to be clear, Jansons has had the opportunity to engage in the development of the brief, they submitted comments on the draft brief and those comments were taken into account as were all others.

“In terms of the access onto the A404, when we consulted on the draft development brief, we set out different options – we ruled out the option that provided access through the Jansons site.”

The development brief for the Terriers Farm site – which was a reserve site released by WDC in 2014 – was approved by cabinet on Monday night, despite some concerns from councillors about “gridlock” on the roads.

Hazlemere North councillor Ron Gaffney said: “I don’t care how many roads you put in to get in or out, I just don’t know how it is going to function. I can’t see anyone being able to get out of Hazlemere to go anywhere.”