COMPLAINTS from angry residents have poured in to a council after plans for a travellers’ site in Chalfont St Giles were submitted.

Villagers fear the site, next to Misbourne Farm, could become ‘another Dale Farm’ – the illegal Essex travellers’ site currently at the centre of an eviction battle with authorities.

Many residents have objected to the development on the grounds it is in Green Belt land, because of the impact on school places and they raised fears slow moving vehicles exiting the site would be dangerous for fast cars on the A413.

Residents Pauline and Paul Schurer said in a letter to Chiltern District Council: “What is going to prevent the site increasing to such an extent, possibly over a short period of time, to replicate that at Dale Farm in Essex? We have seen the recent adverse and costly eviction involved and we would want to avoid such a situation which no doubt would also be the feeling of the local council.”

Another villager, John Denyer, said: “The site will end up an eyesore, with rubbish left in adjacent properties and also ending up in the river. I believe this site, if allowed, would have a major detrimental impact on the local environment and would be a disaster for the River Misbourne and the wildlife therein.”

And Lisa Mayhew said: “A travellers’ site does not have to adhere to regulations or restrictions that are applied to businesses. The authorities would be virtually powerless to apply any restraint to any anti-social activities that may arise.”

The Environment Agency says the site, in Amersham Road, is ‘highly vulnerable’ because of the potential flood risk and Veolia Water told the council that construction work there is likely to contaminate the public water supply.

A previous application was refused in 1980 and villagers say the new plans should also be turned down.

Pam Rowan said: “The peace, tranquillity and order of the locality and the village itself will be compromised by the development.

“To grant planning to such an application as this would represent a very serious precedent and would only open the floodgates to many more similar applications that would be very likely to succeed – this would ruin Chalfont St Giles and other villages nearby.”

Eileen McHale said it would be “detrimental to the landscape and our house prices” and the village was “too small” to accommodate 13 families at the site.

Chiltern District Council is due to rule on the plans at a later date.