By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-11-18 08:46:04 | Updated at 2024-11-18 10:27:58
1 hour ago
Residents in a Buckinghamshire village are in uproar after an illegal road was set down on protected green belt land around their homes.
The makeshift road, laid in Coleshill in the Chilterns, has left locals furious and confused about who is responsible for the development.
Buckinghamshire Council quickly dispatched a planning officer to halt further construction after residents reported seeing a procession of trucks and lorries moving across their fields.
Despite the council intervention, the unauthorised track has already scarred the landscape, leaving villagers concerned about the future of their countryside views.
The entry to the dirt path, as pictured in 2021
What was previously a small track has been turned into an 'illegal' green belt eyesore
GB NEWS
The first layer of the makeshift road contained various pieces of discarded materials, including what appeared to be part of a window frame.
The construction has left muddy scars through what locals describe as beautiful countryside, dramatically altering their usual stunning views of the Chilterns.
One resident revealed she had spoken to multiple foreign buyers who believed they could build homes on the land.
"People think they can build on it. [I spoke to] a Lebanese, a Jordanian, two Russians, a German, New Zealander and an Indian guy," she told the MailOnline.
The local explained that buyers were under the mistaken impression they had permission to build houses on the plots.
The area is home to diverse wildlife, with the same resident noting: "It's a lovely spot. You've got barn owls, muntjacs, badgers and foxes. I saw a deer and her fawn standing on the road, just looking sad."
Some locals suspect the former landowner may have sold plots to foreign buyers who mistakenly believe they can develop the agricultural land.
Conservative councillor Carl Jackson praised the council's Planning Enforcement Team for their swift action in stopping the road's construction.
However, he expressed concerns about potential future developments under new planning laws.
"My objection will be in in about three seconds if they do [apply for planning permission to build homes]," he said.
Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, said the authority "has been made aware of these works and has investigated, advising that the necessary planning permission should be sought for this development".
He added that the council "takes breaches of planning control very seriously" and would use its full enforcement powers where necessary.
