Developers who wanted to build a kimchi farm on land popular with runners and dog walkers in the Chilterns AONB reportedly continued to fell trees in the area despite the plans being thrown out.
TV personality Simon Thomas tweeted drone footage on June 27, writing: “The developers of kimchi farm on Pednor Road have continued felling trees this afternoon after agreeing not to.
“This is my footage from this arvo. They drove away when they saw my drone.”
The former Blue Peter and Sky Sports presenter’s video came 13 days after the plans, proposed on green belt land in Pednor Road, part of the Pednor Loop, in Chesham, were refused by Buckinghamshire Council, which said it was “apparent that the intended use for the building was not wholly agricultural”.
The proposal, which would have seen a Korean kimchi-producing facility built on the freehold land owned by applicant Syed Ahmed, saw hundreds of objections from residents who were concerned about the transparency of the proposal as well as loss of the countryside for people who regularly use the path where the development was proposed.
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The initial design and access statement said Mr Ahmed wanted to use the land for growing organic vegetables to supply to supermarkets, with the barn used to store farming equipment.
But an agricultural report submitted later mentioned a kimchi-producing facility on the land.
Residents argued a new application should be submitted “giving precise details of the landowner’s actual intentions” and saying the scheme “seems to be an industrial project which has been dressed up as an agricultural one, in the hope of satisfying the conditions for permitted development in the Green Belt”.
A Tree Protection Order was placed on the site earlier this month, which means the landowner cannot remove any more trees without entering into “meaningful discussion” with the planning team at Bucks Council.
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