Hughenden Valley residents furious at company's plans for a lorry park on Green Belt land - and say business now needs to move

Country Supplies, in Warrendene Road, has been at the centre of a feud with residents whose lives have been blighted by trails of HGVs that regularly block driveways while queuing to get into the company’s Oakleaf Farm base – resulting in the police being called on a number of occasions.

The issue has got so bad, Hughenden residents started a petition last year calling for something to be done.

Now, months later, Country Supplies has put forward a planning application to turn an area of land adjacent to Oakleaf Farm into a car and lorry parking area, with a new one-way access from Bryants Bottom Lane.

The company said the plans will stop HGVs stacking on surrounding roads while waiting to get into the site, but residents are furious at the idea of concreting over a pretty area of Green Belt within the Chilterns AONB.

The Hughenden Valley Residents’ Association said the only real solution to the problem is for Country Supplies to move somewhere bigger and better-suited for the growing company.

In 2001, there were reportedly 15 deliveries in and 85 out per week, but the plans suggest numbers have grown to “85 HGVs plus 20 staff cars, plus an additional 100+ customers vehicle movements per day”.

And while planning documents suggest there are “no publicly accessible views to open countryside”, the residents’ association says this is a “blatant lie” because the current access lane to the business is a public footpath with “stunning” views.

Jo Stafford told the Bucks Free Press that while the application has made it sound like the plans are for the residents’ benefit, the community is actually “resolutely against” the idea, which has left them “upset and angry”.

A similar proposal – for a two-way road through the field - was put forward to the North West Chilterns Community board in October as part of a package of ideas to alleviate the HGV problems for residents.

But that particular idea was ordered to be removed from the presentation before it even began by the three Bucks councillors for the area, David Carroll, Steve Broadbent and Clive Harriss, because they said they would not support it.

Speaking on behalf of the Residents’ Association, Ms Stafford said: “The idea that this business owner is doing this in response to residents’ concerns is laughable, he was publicly told that we did not support this.

“[The owner] is looking to grow his business and that is what this is really about. The owner needs to take this business to a more appropriate site. It’s not a site for 85 HGVs a day. This business has done very well, it’s hugely successful and hats off to [the owner] for that.

“We’re not against this business, it’s just in the wrong location. The council needs to take some responsibility for this and help them to relocate somewhere more suitable.”

Dozens of objections have been put forward since the plans were first submitted. Ms Stafford said building on the protected Green Belt and AONB that many people moved to the Hughenden Valley specifically to enjoy “should not even be entertained”.

She said: “The Hughenden Valley shouldn’t be an overflow car park. We, like many, moved to the area for the views and the green valleys.”

The residents’ association also says building a lorry park would not improve locals’ lives or address their “serious concerns” about road safety and the harmful impacts of noise, light pollution and vehicle emissions.

Cllr David Carroll said he “totally objects” to the plans, while Cllr Steve Broadbent said it was “unsuitable” and urged that the application is referred to the council’s full planning committee for scrutiny.

Public documents say that the owner of Country Supplies is trying to “act as a responsible business owner” by putting the plans forward “at considerable cost to appease concerns of residents”.

View and comment on the plans using the reference 22/05000/FUL at the wycombe.gov.uk planning portal.