Woodland subject to ‘chainsaw massacre’ set for new homes after inspector u-turn

Three bungalows can be built on a woodland site near Bourne End train station after a Government planning inspector overruled multiple previous objections.

Green space in Fieldhead Gardens, where several protected trees stand, has been the centre of a years-long dispute between the council and developer Marcus Solomon Management Ltd.

Controversy erupted in 2023, when several large trees at the 0.7-acre woodland site were felled in what was dubbed a ‘chainsaw massacre’ by residents of the Fieldhead Gardens estate.

A planning application for the three bungalows, submitted in October 2023, was refused by the council, and a subsequent appeal was dismissed by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate.

The previous Planning Inspectorate decision said the refusal had been ‘sound’ and ordered Marcus Solomon Management Ltd to fork out the council’s legal costs for the appeal.

But that decision was taken to the High Court earlier this year, where an order was made for it to be reviewed.

Following a public hearing in late November, inspector M Beale gave the bungalows the green light.

Inspector Beale’s decision said there were no reasons which ‘significantly and demonstrably’ weighed against approval, adding that ‘any additional housing should be seen as a clear benefit’.

Woodland at Fieldhead Gardens was ‘clearly valued’, the inspector said, but ‘authorised tree management works [in 2023] have resulted in a somewhat barren appearance’.

“Given the recent planning history, I can appreciate why some local residents believe that tree works have been undertaken purely to facilitate the development,” the inspector continued.

“I have some sympathy with the sentiment that one should not be able to remove valuable constraints from a site in order to lessen objections to a development proposal.

“However, the council has confirmed that applications for the removal of, or works to, trees have been considered on their own individual merits.”

The inspector said the tree felling in 2023 was ‘said to have been allowed solely for the purposes of good woodland management’, and that new trees had been planted to replace those lost.

“It is clear that building houses on the appeal site would undermine some of the aims of the [Buckinghamshire Council] development plan,” the inspector said.

“Green spaces are important for a number of reasons and this one is clearly valued by local residents.

“The need to deliver housing should not be at all costs.

“However, the site would still contain substantial green infrastructure, with its mature trees continuing to contribute to the character and appearance of the locality.

“Its function within the area is a visual one, and that would continue to an appreciable extent.”

The inspector added: “On this basis, and because those policies with which I have found conflict… should be deemed out of date… planning permission should be granted.”

Competing claims by the council and the developer for the other to pay the appeal’s legal costs were thrown out.

A social media post by the independent councillors for Flackwell Heath & The Wooburns, who have opposed the plans, said they were ‘extremely disappointed’ by the decision.

The post added: “Much of the detail of the proposed development will be considered under a reserved matters application, which we will be monitoring very closely when it appears.”