Buckinghamshire Council targeted illegal dwellings in Little Chalfont after they encroached on protected Chiltern AONB and Green Belt land.
The local authority decided to take direct action to restore the protected Green Belt land between Little Chalfont and Chalfont St Giles to its permitted use.
Between March 2019 and March 2021 the plots of land off Lodge Lane were used by the landowner to illegally house caravans and temporary dwellings had been erected.
Building and making changes of use in the area is restricted, as the land is dedicated Metropolitan Green Belt and Chiltern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
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Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment said: “Land like this, set within the Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is a critically important part of what makes our area so special and shapes the place that we live and work.
“The enforcement action that we have taken in this case over the past three years has been absolutely necessary to cease this unauthorised and harmful use and to restore the land to its former use, preserving the openness of the Green Belt and conserving the AONB.
As one of 34 AONB designations in England, the spot’s AONB status means a law protects the land to conserve and enhance its natural beauty.
In response to the owner changing use of the land into unauthorised caravan sites, Bucks Council issued five planning enforcement notices on the plots in effort to try stop further unauthorised activity and restore the land.
In addition, the Council also issued two High Court injunctions on the spot and its surrounding area.
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The owner then tried to get permission for the unauthorised use in retrospect, but Bucks Council wasn’t playing ball.
The owner's retrospective applications were rejected first by Bucks Council, followed by a dismissal of the owners appeal by the Planning Inspectorate.
However, the saga continued, as the owner refused to comply with the enforcement notices and take down the unauthorised structures - at the owner's cost.
On April 4 the Council’s specialist contractors entered the land to carry out works.
This included the cessation of the use of the land as a caravan site, the removal of caravans, buildings, horse boxes and associated hardstanding.
Mr Williams said: “The action we have taken is another example of the Council’s ‘no nonsense’ approach to planning enforcement which we continue to employ where necessary.
“We will always aim to work with parties to reach an amicable conclusion but where this is not possible, we will take further action such as this.”
The Council will not tolerate breaches of planning control and use enforcement tools, Mr Williams said as “a warning to others”.
We’ve launched a new Facebook group for local news junkies, politics fans and everyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest issues affecting Little Chalfont. Please join the conversation over at Buckinghamshire Politics
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