'Garden grab' home plan in High Wycombe rejected (From Bucks Free Press)

'Garden grab' home plan in High Wycombe rejected

9:06am Thursday 9th September 2010 in

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FEARS over 'garden grabbing' led to plans for a new house in a High Wycombe residential area being rejected last night.

Planning officers had recommended proposals for a new three bedroom house and car parking space at the corner of Hughenden Avenue and Kelvin Close be approved.

But members of Wycombe District Council's planning committee turned them down because of the impact it would have on neighbours.

Worried residents had sent in 28 letters of objection to the plans and a petition containing 52 signatures.

They said the plans, which were made by Hester Homes, were an example of “garden grabbing” and would lead to a loss of privacy to neighbours.

A tree would have been cut down to make way for the attached car parking bays.

Cllr Richard Pushman described the plans as “cramming of the worst possible type”, adding the plans “haven't enhanced, but intensified” development at the site.

Cllr Alan Hill said the plans would be “detrimental” to other residents of Hughenden Avenue.

He said: “These corners are there for a reason. To build in there would absolutely spoil the street scene.”

Cllr Hugh McCarthy said: “It seemed to me when it was planned, that particular corner was deliberately left open.

“To close it with a structure – and I accept it doesn't close all of it – substantially changes the openness of the site and that concerns me considerably.”

He added he was “surprised” no concerns over the impact on traffic had been raised by the county council.

The plans were rejected by nine votes to one because it would cause “overdevelopment” of the site and would be “detrimental to the established street scene”.