A parish council has accused a ‘philanthropist’ who built a wildlife pond on his six-acre estate in Marlow without planning permission of ‘adversely changing’ the local landscape.

Mr A. Gerko, who owns the 150-acre Holme Wood Estate on Frieth Road in Marlow, began work on a wildlife pond on grassland neighbouring his home in April 2022, before finishing the project in November of the same year.

Not long afterwards, Buckinghamshire Council served him with an enforcement notice stating that he had breached planning control by carrying out engineering works on his land without permission.

The notice described the pond as “an incongruous development which fails to conserve or enhance the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)”, with its “acceptable” impact on nearby habitats judged as merely a “neutral” factor insufficient to offset the harm caused by its creation.

The estate owner appealed against the notice, but his case was dismissed in August 2023. Not to be deterred, however, Mr Gerko – referred to in the planning documents as a “keen philanthropist” – tried a different tack and submitted a retrospective planning application for the pond in November.

While a decision has not been made by the local authority on the retrospective application, Medmenham Parish Council has submitted an objection to the planning portal stating it does not believe permission should be granted for the site, which lies within both the Chiltern AONB and the Medmenham Biodiversity Opportunity Area.

A spokesperson for the council questioned whether the development could even be termed a ‘wildlife pond’ and accused the applicant of using the term in an attempt to comply with biodiversity policies.

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They added: “As this development occurred without an ecology report, there is no existing baseline for the biodiversity of the area.

“It is possible that much of the flora and fauna that was present years ago has disappeared, which would have affected a baseline based on present findings.

“The development of the lake has resulted in a change to the landscape of this part of the Chiltern AONB that has not enhanced or benefited the area but has caused adverse changes that will permanently (impact) the landscape.”

In a written statement submitted in response to the objection, a senior consultant for LDA Design countered that the pond “sits comfortably within its context” and has imposed “no adverse change (on) the landscape character”.

Adding: “(An) ecological study did not return any records of protected species from within the site and based on the previous condition as largely poor semi-improved grassland, it was unlikely to support notable species.

“(We) uphold the view that ponds are a natural feature of the surrounding landscape and the Chiltern AONB, and (that) the area is lacking in water sources for biodiversity.”

Buckinghamshire Council is expected to make a decision on the retrospective application in the coming months.