298 objectors condemn Loudwater caravan site application

The row over the site opposite Ladywood Close in Sarratt Lane, Loudwater, began when diggers arrived and felled protected trees on March 14.

Yet it took until mid-August for a planning application for work at the site to appear on the Three Rivers planning portal, before an earth bund was levelled and a gate installed on August 26.

The site on August 26, when works which triggered a stop notice took place (Image: Contribution)

A stop notice has been issued over the unauthorised work while the application to station four caravans in the clearing is considered, with the council setting an October 9 deadline for a decision.

Neighbours have since flooded the council with 298 objections, including one calling the proposal an “abhorrent disregard of rules and regulations”.

Cllr Louise Price, who has pushed for action over the unauthorised works, at the site in Sarratt Lane (Image: Cllr Louise Price)

They added: "I looked at the site today and was shocked and upset in equal bouts to see the trees have been felled.

“The amount of natural habitat that would have been destroyed by this act of sabotage is extremely upsetting.”

Several highlighted the habitats and “abundant ancient woodland indicator flora” on the land, which they fear would be lost if the site is occupied.

Others called the narrow, single-track bend proposed as the site access a “major concern” and “extremely problematic”.

But many objectors were angriest about the work already carried out seemingly without regard for the planning process.

Neighbours blocked access to the site with their cars after the initial works in March (Image: Cllr Louise Price)

“The council must consider the true history of this site rather than simply accepting its present cleared condition,” one objector added. “It would set a concerning precedent if repeated clearance of protected land could create an 'existing clearing' which is then relied upon to justify development.”

Another said: “The contribution of the site to the significance of the conservation area would be substantially lost as a result of the proposal through the further removal of the trees in addition to those removed unlawfully.”

The application says the council cannot show an adequate supply of deliverable caravan sites in the district, so the proposal is needed.

It claims traffic from the site “would not be significant in terms of either highway safety or capacity” and adds: “There are no adverse impacts which would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits and, therefore, planning permission should be granted without delay.”

The land had previously been subject to planning enforcement over "felling of protected trees and unauthorised creation of an access" in 2022, when retrospective plans for a boundary fence and earth-bank removal were withdrawn after objections.