A 'philanthropist' who built a six-acre wildlife pond on his Buckinghamshire estate last year is now retrospectively seeking planning permission after being issued with an enforcement notice.
Mr A. Gerko, who owns the 150-acre Holme Wood Estate on Frieth Road in Marlow, began work on the construction of a wildlife pond on grassland neighbouring his home in April 2022, before completing the project in November of the same year.
Not long after, however, Local Planning Authority Buckinghamshire Council served him with an enforcement notice stating that he had breached planning control by carrying out engineering works on his land without permission.
The notice described the pond as "an incongruous development which fails to conserve or enhance the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty", with its "acceptable" impact on nearby habitats judged to be only a "neutral" effect insufficient to offset potential harm caused by its creation.
An appeal lodged by Mr Gerko against the notice was dismissed in August 2023.
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However, not to be defeated, the estate owner, who is described in planning documents as a "keen philanthropist", submitted a retrospective application in November through the consultancy firm LDA Design seeking permission for the already-constructed wildlife pond.
The pond, which lies within both the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Medmenham Biodiversity Opportunity Area, is also surrounded by ancient woodland and a large number of species habitats.
In the planning application, LDA Design, working alongside BSG Consultants, sought to demonstrate that the pond's environmental benefits outweighed any impact on the surrounding ecology during its construction.
In an ecological consultation, BSG contended that the new pond was providing the opportunity for a range of locally rare species to begin populating the area, including butterflies, reptiles and bats.
A spokesperson for LDA Design revealed in a statement on the portal that attempts to approach officers to "outline the approach of the retrospective application" have, as of yet, received no response.
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