Planning facts
The Facts About the Planning Application
Planning Application PL/26/06042/OA is an outline application for up to 190 dwellings and a community building (Class F2) on Green Belt land at Quill Hall Farm. Below is a summary of the key facts and concerns underpinning the campaign's objection.
Green Belt and Landscape Harm
- The site is farmland lying entirely within the Green Belt and the Chilterns National Landscape - development would cause permanent loss of on-site ecology and lasting harm to the surrounding woodland habitat.
- Bucks Council has already deemed this site unsuitable for development, and this application offers no adequate new case for overturning that judgement.
- The applicant, Redington Capital, openly accepts the proposal does not comply with the existing development plan and would cause harm and fails to make the case for redesignating the land as Grey Belt.
- The council's emerging Local Plan already shows how housing targets can be met without releasing Green Belt or National Landscape land.
Road Safety
- Redington Capital expects the development would generate almost 900 vehicle trips a day - an increase of around 200% increase on current Quill Hall Lane traffic.
- Quill Hall Lane is narrow and used by pedestrians and cyclists, including children walking to and from school, and by older residents; the proposed mitigations are likely to increase vehicle speeds and the risk to these vulnerable road users.
Local Services
- A development of this size would place real additional demand on GP surgeries, school places, and other local infrastructure - funding offered by the Redington Capital does not reflect the true cost of meeting that demand.
The Bottom Line
- This application would cause permanent irreversible harm to protected Green Belt and National Landscape which the council has already assessed and rejected for development.
- The development would seriously impact road safety risks.
- Amersham's already-stretched local services would be pulled to breaking point.