Villagers fear Burnham will be ‘unliveable’ if 800-home plan approved, meeting hears

‘Horrified’ Burnham residents fear the village will become ‘unliveable’ if a bid to build as many as 800 new homes is approved, a parish council meeting has heard.

Parish councillors said developer Croudace Homes’ plan for fields surrounding Hitcham Farm in Lent Rise Road could bring roads to gridlock and cause the ‘forever’ loss of green space.

The comments come as a petition to ‘stop houses being built in farmland in greenbelt in Burnham’ reached more than 1,350 signatures.

Croudace Homes said its plan, which includes a new primary school and parkland, would be a ‘long term investment’ that ‘enhances rather than diminishes the character of the area’.

But many villagers were ‘extremely upset’ over the plans, a Burnham Parish Council Planning Committee heard on Monday (January 12).

Chairman Marie Hammon said ‘horrified’ residents had told her the plans would ‘just cause gridlock’ on roads in Burnham and ‘lower our quality of life’.

She added: “Without extra money spent on the infrastructure it will be unliveable – it will change the way we live and it will just destroy it.”

Cllr John Carey said traffic in the village was ‘already impossible’ and Cllr Carol Linton said the developer would ‘have to do something’ to help improve the A4 Bath Road.

More issues in Croudace Homes’ plan, Cllr Linton said, included ‘no secondary school, transport problems, buses, drainage there [at Hitcham Farm], and the fact that you can’t walk to the local supermarket’.

Cllr Hammon said ‘the transport is the worst thing as far as we’re concerned’.

“It takes a good 30 to 45 minutes to get onto the Bath Road all the way from Lent Rise Road in the morning,” she said,

“This will just make things far, far worse.

“Even if they did change the infrastructure, it will change our way of life, it will lower our quality of life.

“And that is insurmountable – nothing can be done to actually improve that – and once it's built on, it’s built on forever.

“This is valuable land which is lost forever.”

She added: “Goodbye, beautiful landscape and beautiful space between us, Taplow and other areas.”

Developer Croudace Homes floated a watered-down bid for 800 in its first formal submission to Buckinghamshire Council in December, having earlier begun a consultation on a plan for 1,000.

A spokesperson for Croudace Homes said the company was ‘grateful to everyone who has taken the time to engage with our early consultation for up to 1,000 new homes in Burnham’.

“We recognise the significant housing challenges faced across South Buckinghamshire, with thousands of local people currently on the council’s housing waiting list.

“Our proposals would deliver a substantial number of much-needed affordable homes, offering real opportunities for local families who are struggling to find somewhere suitable and attainable to live.”

The spokesperson added: “Following feedback received through the consultation undertaken and further review of the technical details, the proposed scheme has been reduced to 800 dwellings of which 50 per cent will be affordable housing.”

The meeting heard how councillors had heard ‘quite a lot’ about the sale of Hitcham Farm, but were unsure whether a sale had yet been completed.

Croudace Homes was approached for comment on the land ownership.