CURRENT controversial plans to develop the Gomm Valley, between Cock Lane and Hammersley Lane, Tylers Green have been thrown into serious doubt after a furious row between the developer and the land owner.
The developers of the proposed 1,000 home scheme, Human Nature, said in a statement yesterday that the land owners, the insurance group Aviva, is selling the 70 hectare (173 acre) site to a big housing company. Aviva has yet to confirm this.
The developers are apoplectic. They have spent four years working with Aviva finalising a plan which included a number of significant environmental and ecological features on the site which includes an area of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a nature reserve and is the last undeveloped dry valley in the Wycombe region. Now they feel they’ve been thrown under a bus.
Chief executive Jonathan Smales said: “Our team is heartbroken.
“We believe…our team has been used as a Trojan Horse, our values abused, our promises to and bonds with local organisations and people broken, so that Aviva can wash its hands of a challenging scheme and pocket the cash under cover of what it calls its ‘fiduciary duty’ to its own investors.”
Objectors and supporters
A group of residents led by the Penn and Tylers Green Residents’ Society supported the plans because they felt the design aspects and environmental protections offered far exceeded that which could be expected from a ‘normal’ housing development. They also felt the proposed road design was the best option to prevent additional traffic using Tylers Green as a shortcut. The Society is expected to make a statement shortly.
However, when the outline planning application for the scheme was considered two years ago an overwhelming number of local residents and other organisations opposed it. Most felt the scheme was an over-development that would generate unacceptable levels of local traffic and pollution.
Much anger centred on a recommendation by a Government planning inspector that the valley could accommodate up to a maximum 600 houses, whereas the Human Nature application ignored this and proposed up to 1,000. The developer said the extra homes were needed to pay for the extra environmental protections.
The development plans also included provision for a new school, shops and craft workshops. It never progressed beyond the initial outline planning stage so the local council did not give its view one way or the other.
Aviva has been approached for a comment.