Beaconsfield: More than 500 object to housing development

Plans for the Beeches Park development, next to Amersham Road (A355) and Minerva Way, include 450 residential properties

More than 500 letters have been sent objecting to a housing development.

Plans for the Beeches Park development in Beaconsfield, next to the A355 Amersham Road and Minerva Way, include 450 residential properties, a primary and pre-school, retail space and a community building.

Buckinghamshire Council said the plans would constitute "inappropriate development".

Developers The Portman Estate said the plans had "very special circumstances".

The development would provide 40% affordable housing, social benefits and education, it said.

'Visual harm'

The council said it would cause "substantial spatial and visual harm" in the Green Belt, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"The layout of the development represents poor design quality. The housing number exceeds the site's capacity and the extent of building above two storeys is considered excessive for this location," the authority said.

Included in the plans are four new access points off the Amersham Road and the Eastern Relief Road (ERR).

The council said the transport assessment was "inadequate" and would cause "adverse effects" on the existing road network.

The authority was also concerned by possible harm to heritage assets, air quality, and flooding.

Councillor Paul Mason recommended the plans be refused when the outline planning application is discussed this week.