A pay-as-you-play golf site in Beaconsfield has finally been approved 27 years after initial proposals were put forward.

The golf course is set to be built across a site near Longbottom Lane and Amersham Road, with plans also to convert an existing barn to a pay booth plus toilet facilities.

It comes after a long battle for developers to bring the plans to fruition. The application history shows that initial plans were first put forward on June 7, 1996.

However, a never-ending list of legalities, which focussed on the legitimacy of the application, prompted the idea to be shelved in 1997.

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It was brought back into contention in 2004 when the plans received its ‘certificate of lawfulness’, but questions remained over its legitimacy.

As a result, legal teams were drafted in to resolve the long-running issues, and plans were eventually approved by the South Buckinghamshire Area Planning Committee on May 30 this year.

Situated on Metropolitan Green Belt, the site is not located in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), but the boundary of the AONB forms the northern edge of Longbottom Lane.

This had prompted concerns from residents over the 'impact to the character of the area', plus flooding and increased traffic fears.

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Councillor Anita Cromer said: “There are traffic assumptions that are neither accurate for 2023, nor forward thinking for years ahead.

“Longbottom Lane is now considerably busier from an amendment [to the application] that was made in 2019.

“The volume of traffic is now the issue, not speed, and we have no accurate figures as a comprehensive traffic study has not been done.”

Other concerns were raised about the potential damage that any landscaping clearance would do in the area, which was later addressed by a condition being added to the approval to ensure boundary hedges are to be reinstated following the build.

Councillor Andrew Wood said: “The thing that worries me most is why some councillors and individuals are trying to unpick something that was granted over 25 years ago.

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“It has been given a certificate of lawfulness and everything has been done above board, and in my personal opinion, I believe we are wasting time and public money having this meeting.

“We had the plans cut so less damage would be done to the environment.”

Plans were ultimately approved with seven members of the committee voting in favour, whilst two went against it, and others abstained.

For full details of the plans search ref PL/22/4395/VRCon the Bucks Council planning portal at www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/view-and-comment-on-a-planning-application.