Buckinghamshire councillors have refused an application for retrospective planning permission for a traveller site in Ashley Green, near Chesham, where construction had already commenced.
Work on the site began on 2 April 2026. Council officers had advised granting permission but councillors voted to refuse the application.
The planning agent for the applicants stated that work began due to a need for accommodation. However, councillors considered that intentionally starting work without permission should be given "substantial weight" in their decision, as highlighted by Conservative councillor Martin Tett.
Other reasons for refusal included concerns that children living on the site would have to walk alongside a busy road to school. The applicant, Keith O'Donoghue, now has to decide whether to appeal the decision.