A retrospective planning application proposing an "eco-friendly" Gypsy and Traveller site on an acre of land in the Chilterns has prompted strong local opposition, with residents and conservation campaigners raising concerns about ecology, noise and the bypassing of planning rules.
The application, submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council and subject to a public consultation running until Sept. 19, seeks permission for a static caravan and a touring caravan to be sited on a field near Digberry Farm in the parish of Swyncombe, close to Henley-on-Thames. The proposal includes parking space, grazing for horses and associated infrastructure such as a septic tank, hardstanding, fences, a nearly 150kg metal storage container and a charging point for e-bikes. The agent for the landowner argued in the planning documents that providing a permanent base for a single Traveller family would reduce annual travel and therefore cut overall private car use.
Locals said they were not informed before work began on the plot, describing the application as retrospective and alleging the landowner treated the site as a "fait accompli." Several neighbours lodged formal objections, citing generator noise, lighting disturbance and potential impacts on nocturnal wildlife including bats. One objector told the council the generator noise has "blighted the community, particularly at night," and said residents value "peace and silence."
The site lies within the Chilterns National Landscape and on land parcelled off from Springalls Plantation, a 23-acre area of ancient woodland that is covered by a tree preservation order. Campaign group Save Springalls has opposed development on the wooded parcels since the estate was sold after its owner died in 2019. An ecological appraisal appended to the new application warned that hedgerow removal could affect breeding birds; a tree constraints plan attached to the submission said four trees would be cut down but described them as "low quality and value," proposing compensatory native planting.
A planning application to change the land from agricultural to equestrian, submitted in March 2024, was refused in May 2024 and a subsequent appeal was dismissed after the council concluded such development would "fundamentally and harmfully change the existing open and rural character of the site" and would "fail to conserve or enhance the landscape," particularly noting the value of the existing treescape and native hedging.
Mark Alliston, 60, a near lifelong Swyncombe resident who works in biodiversity, said he objected to the current retrospective application and only discovered the occupants were Travellers after being contacted by a newspaper. Alliston, who says part of his family is Romany, described anger in the community about works carried out without notice and expressed concern for soil biodiversity and links to nearby protected sites. He told the Daily Mail that the area sits at the head of a valley that leads to two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, one of which is a nationally important nature reserve.
"Proper procedure should be observed before development occurs and this has not happened," Alliston said in his formal objection. He added that the scheme conflicted with provisions of the Oxfordshire Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework relating to Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, biodiversity and heritage protection.
Liz Longley, chair of Swyncombe Parish Council, said the parish council and residents were "deeply concerned" and criticised the practice known as "lotting," where larger estates are divided and sold in parcels. "Lotting, as it is known, is becoming a scourge to communities across the country," she said, adding that the landowner had "breached planning rules at every turn" and that the root issue required legislative attention.
In the planning submission the landowner's agent argued the proposal would bring public benefits by reducing the friction associated with illegal encampments and the public cost of legal action used to remove them. The agent also framed the site as a sustainable option, saying a permanent base would reduce travel and produce a net environmental benefit.
South Oxfordshire District Council declined to comment while the planning application is under consideration. The council will assess the retrospective submission against local and national planning policy, the conservation status of the Chilterns National Landscape and material considerations raised during the consultation period, which closes on Sept. 19.
The dispute highlights tensions that can arise between the need for Traveller accommodation, the rights of landowners, and statutory protections for landscapes and habitats. The outcome of the planning process will determine whether the retrospective works are regularised, altered or removed in line with planning controls and environmental safeguards.