346 homes approved in two schemes near High Wycombe

A total of 346 homes near High Wycombe have been approved despite strong opposition.

Neighbouring sites at Tralee and Orchard End Farms at Holmer Green were subject to one application from Bellway Homes for 259, and another from Hawridge Strategic Land for 87. The combined area is known as HW8 in the Local Plan.

But some councillors at the October 17 meeting of Buckinghamshire Council’s strategic sites committee argued strongly against both schemes.

Cllr Catherine Oliver criticised the architectural merits of the Bellway scheme (bottom right in image) and safety on surrounding roads.

She said: “Everybody who lives on this development will be car reliant. It does not integrate into Hazlemere at all.”

The Hawridge scheme was similarly opposed. The application was a revised version of previous attempts to build homes on the site.

However, it did not, according to Cllr Ed Gemmell, take sufficient account of environmental issues.

He said: “The original plan came forward to make as much money for the developer as possible. Then we had two documents come forward; the development brief and the Hazlemere Neighbourhood Plan, both asking for layout and orientation for climate change to be taken into account, and nothing has changed.”

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