Wycombe residents have been left ‘frustrated’ after new flats breached planning rules.

Steve Britnell of Revere Homes received planning permission to redevelop the car park at Old Kiln Road, Flackwell Heath, in 2022.

Buckinghamshire Council approved his proposals to build two pairs of three-bedroom semi-detached houses and a block of four two-bedroom flats.

However, breaches of the planning permission for the new flats were identified in January of this year, including the installation of a lift and rooflight, which did not form part of the original plans.

Meanwhile, the distances between the flats and neighbouring fences are not in accordance with the approved plans.

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The applicant also failed to submit details relating to the bike and bin store, breaching condition 12, which required him to provide these details.

“It is a disregard to planning,” says Andrew Sutcliffe, an engineer, who has lived next to the development for over two years.

The 53-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We wouldn’t get away with that. There seem to be two rules in the planning system. One for the general public, one for big building companies.

“I would never just build anything that wasn’t approved knowing that they would make you take it down or put it right.

“But as a builder with money behind them, they basically seem to be able to do whatever they want. It’s not fair.”

The council has not officially confirmed the breaches, only saying: “We are still investigating these elements.”

However, an email from a councillor to a resident outlines the breaches identified by council planning officers.

The letter, seen by the LDRS, also states that the owner of the site must either cease the unauthorised works or submit a retrospective planning application for the development.

Revere is understood to have since submitted a planning application to regularise the lift and a Velux window. The developer has repeatedly been approached for comment.

Another local resident Simon Carter, 51, said several residents have been left ‘frustrated’ by the planning breaches.

The IT worker told the LDRS: “There is clearly some additional development that has happened that hasn’t happened in line with the original planning permission.”

Residents says they have been told that council planning officers have said they can’t take enforcement action until the new flats are built.

Andrew and other residents have noticed a metal structure being added to the roof of the block of flats that they did not recognise in the plans.

He said: “They have blatantly built the structure of the roof to house another flat when the plans are only for four two-bedroom flats.”

The resident added: “There is no need to have a lift or stairs accessing to the loft area. It has clearly been built to built to put another flat in.

“I am not against anyone building homes on the site. But they have to adhere to approved plans.”