LEADER of South Bucks District Council Peter Hardy is furious that his council has been forced to give planning permission for 48 homes to be built on the edge of Gerrards Cross.

Almost two years ago the council's planning committee wanted to allow just seven homes to be built on the 1.5 hectares of land at Upper Meadow, Hedgerley Lane. The land is zoned for housing in the south Bucks local plan.

But at four houses to the hectare, it did not fit in with Government planning guidelines, which say houses on sites larger than a hectare should be built at not less than 30 per hectare. As a result the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) called the plan in, looked at it and refused it planning permission.

Last month the committee was obliged to turn down another plan, this time for 37 houses and flats on the land, because still did not fit planning guidelines, and allow one for 48, which did.

At a meeting of Buckinghamshire County Council, on Thursday, September 22, where South East housebuilding rates for the next 20 years were being discussed, Cllr Hardy complained bitterly about the planning guidance.

"The committee had to pass this application, which is more than half the annual housing target for south Bucks.

"Local decisions should be taken by local people and not by bureaucrats at the ODPM," he said.

Cllr Rodney Royston the county's cabinet member for strategic planning, said the planning committee had been bludgeoned into doing the Government's bidding.

"The builder doesn't want to build at that density, but we are forced into making him do so," he said.

The ODPM said four houses per hectare was a grossly inefficient use of the land, which could take more homes without spoiling the character of the area. Not enough affordable homes were being built.

Cllr Peter Chapman, chairman of Gerrards Cross Parish Council, said the land was next to the green belt and housing density should decrease with distance from Gerrards Cross. He said anything more than half a dozen would detract from the character of other properties and Hedgerley Lane was narrow and steep and unsuitable for the traffic that 48 homes would bring.

He added the young families who would probably live there would have no school nearby and no public transport "We are having to fulfil Government guidelines which don't give the local authority the opportunity to take into account local circumstances," he said.

"We understand the Government wants to increase the number of homes in the South East but we can manage to achieve these targets ourselves. We would recommend development where it was appropriate. The permission is for 33 two bedroomed flats, eight three bedroomed houses and seven four bedroomed houses.