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Planning

BBCT's remit is to secure indefinitely the natural undeveloped state of the land adjoining Bryants Bottom Road to the east and west of the road falling between the Bryants Bottom entrance signs at the northern and southern ends of the hamlet.  Below is a detailed review as to why the Millen Homes planning application should be refused.

Objection to Planning Application PL/25/3229/OA

Land at Franconia, Bryants Bottom Road, HP16 0JT
Applicant: Millen Homes Ltd
Proposal: Outline planning permission for two detached bungalows and formation of vehicular access

Dear Planning Officer,

I wish to object in the strongest terms to the above application. The proposal represents inappropriate development within the Green Belt and the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), contrary to both the Buckinghamshire Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The scheme remains substantively similar to the earlier application 22/07566/OUT, which was refused and dismissed at appeal (APP/K0425/W/23/3330546). None of the Inspector’s reasons for that decision have been overcome.

1. Conflict with Policy DM43 – Development in the Green Belt

Policy DM43 confirms that the construction of new buildings in the Green Belt is inappropriate unless falling within the limited exceptions set out in national policy.
Bryants Bottom is a Tier 6 hamlet, not a defined village where infilling is allowed. DM43 allows only limited infilling within villages and explicitly excludes hamlets and open countryside.
This proposal therefore fails the fundamental policy test and constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

2. Inappropriate Reliance on “Previously Developed Land” and “Grey Belt” Provisions

The applicant seeks to justify the scheme under paragraphs 154(g) (Previously Developed Land) and 155 (“Grey Belt”) of the December 2024 NPPF.

However:

  • The Planning Inspector previously concluded that the site is not previously developed land. It remains a former garden plot, which Annex 2 of the NPPF expressly excludes from the definition of PDL when within the Green Belt.

  • No objective Green Belt assessment has been provided to demonstrate that the site “does not strongly serve” Green Belt purposes.

  • The site continues to perform the important Green Belt function of safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, separating built plots and contributing to the semi-rural character of Bryants Bottom.

The proposal therefore remains inappropriate development for which no very special circumstances exist.

3. Wooded Character, Openness and Rural Setting

The applicant’s own ecological report confirms that the site is densely wooded, comprising lowland mixed deciduous woodland, a priority habitat under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. The woodland includes mature trees, hedgerows and an understorey that forms a strong visual and ecological buffer between neighbouring properties.

This is not an open gap in the street scene but a wooded plot whose tree cover contributes directly to the openness and landscape character of the Green Belt and AONB.
Clearing this vegetation for two dwellings, driveways and gardens would destroy the existing woodland and introduce urbanising features that erode both spatial and visual openness.

The proposal therefore conflicts with the purpose of the Green Belt to “safeguard the countryside from encroachment” and with Policy DM43, which seeks to maintain openness and rural character.

4. Biodiversity and Ecological Impact

The ecological appraisal confirms that the site’s woodland is of high distinctiveness and local ecological importance. Its clearance would result in the permanent loss of habitat that cannot be replaced or compensated on-site. The proposed development would fail to achieve the required Biodiversity Net Gain, contrary to Policy DM30 (Biodiversity and Geodiversity) and the Environment Act 2021.
This loss is incompatible with the Council’s statutory duty to protect and enhance biodiversity.

5. Settlement Pattern and Character

Bryants Bottom is a scattered linear hamlet with irregular spacing between dwellings and strong landscape boundaries.
The Planning Inspector previously found that additional dwellings here would appear as encroachment into the countryside rather than infill, a conclusion that remains accurate.
Allowing this proposal would set an undesirable precedent for similar development in other Tier 6 hamlets, undermining the Council’s spatial strategy and Green Belt protection policies.

6. AONB and Landscape Impact

The site lies within the Chilterns AONB, where NPPF paragraph 182 requires great weight to be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty.
Removal of established woodland and introduction of housing and domestic activity would harm the AONB’s tranquillity and character.
No exceptional circumstances or public benefits have been demonstrated to justify this harm.

7. Unsustainable Location

Bryants Bottom has no shops, services or public transport. Residents are entirely reliant on private cars for all day-to-day needs.
The previous Inspector found the site unsustainable, and that position remains unchanged.
The proposal therefore conflicts with Policies CS17 and DM33, which direct housing growth to more accessible and sustainable locations.

8. Limited Weight of Self-Build Argument

The applicant’s reference to the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 carries minimal weight in this context. The legislation does not override Green Belt policy or justify housing in locations contrary to the development plan.
Self-build plots must still comply with Green Belt and sustainability policies, which this proposal clearly fails to do.

9. Conclusion

In summary, the proposal:

  • Conflicts with Policy DM43 and Core Strategy Policy CS9;

  • Remains inappropriate development in the Green Belt;

  • Would result in the loss of priority woodland habitat, contrary to Policy DM30;

  • Fails to comply with the Council’s settlement hierarchy and sustainability policies;

  • Causes harm to the openness, character and biodiversity of the Green Belt and Chilterns AONB; and

  • Offers no very special circumstances or public benefits that would outweigh those harms.

For these reasons, I respectfully request that Buckinghamshire Council refuse planning permission for application PL/25/3229/OA, consistent with the earlier appeal decision and in full accordance with the development plan and the NPPF.