A landowner in Chesham has still not removed a fence on land in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) despite being ordered to by the council three years ago. 

Buckinghamshire Council handed Syed Ahmed an enforcement notice for the removal of a fence circling a patch of woodland near Pednor Road in July 2021.

The fence, which had been put up without permission, drew local ire over its location in the Chilterns AONB and for blocking off a commonly used, informal footpath.

Ahmed missed the council's deadline of November 2022, however, and when the fence was still in place in May of this year, the local authority said the matter had become 'a criminal offence'.

Undeterred, the landowner applied for retrospective permission for the 1.2 metre fence in July, defending it as necessary to prevent "trespassing and vandalism" that had "plagued" the site in recent years.

The permission has not been granted, but, as of September 2024, the fence is still standing and locals have also spotted a small shed inside the closure, which one person described as a demonstration of "blatant disregard" for the planning process.

Jeremy Woodcock said he had also spotted new "wooden gates for vehicle access" at the site, while Joanne Greenberg said she had seen "an electric fence and goats and chicken" on the land. 

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Alongside his sister Uruss, Ahmed previously sought to use the land as a kimchi farm, growing cabbage and lettuce to ferment for the traditional Korean dish.

Their application was refused in 2021, however, after the council concluded it would be harmful to the greenbelt and surrounding AONB.

Peter Strachan, the council's cabinet member for planning and regeneration, told the Free Press in July that the enforcement notice breach meant that "a criminal offence is being committed" and indicated that an investigation was underway.

Speaking on September 17, Mr Strachan said a new planning enforcement notice for the removal of a wooden building, gates and "an enclosure formed from pallets and fencing" at the site had been issued in August, requiring compliance from the landowner by January 1, 2025.

It requires Uruss Ahmed to "dismantle and remove the wooden building, the gates, the enclosure and fencing" from the land alongside "all materials and debris".

Mr Strachan said the application for retrospective permission for the fence would be "progressed to determination in the meantime" and that its implications for the enforcement notice would be considered depending on the outcome.