Buckinghamshire Council has stopped a new home from being occupied despite it being empty for five years, in a case that shines a light on the ‘dysfunctional’ planning system.

Jesdev Saggar said it was ‘shocking’ that his brand-new bungalow in Amersham, which has its own garden and two parking spaces, has been allowed to sit vacant since 2019.

The 51-year-old consultant has urged the council to approve his application to change the use of 7 Pheasant Close from a children’s nursery to a residential home.

Mr Saggar, based in Gerrards Cross, said: “We submitted our application in February 2022, and they have been sitting on it ever since.”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the frustrated applicant revealed that his application has effectively been frozen due to new planning rules designed to protect the nearby Ashridge Commons and Tring Woodlands.

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Mr Saggar’s bungalow and much of Amersham falls within the zone of influence for the Chiltern Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Introduced in 2022, the scheme controls new development to protect precious nearby green spaces.

Mr Saggar said he agreed with the principle of the conservation area, saying: “I get the logic, that it is important for the local habitat to be protected, but my argument is that I am not building, it is a change of use.”

The one-bedroom bungalow, which has a large lounge, kitchen and bathroom, has still not been screened to see if its change of use will impact the conservation area.

Mr Saggar claims the council have been promising to do this for years, and continue to promise every month, but have still not got around to it.

He said: “Either there is no one working at the council, or they are busy doing something.”

Peter Strachan, the council’s cabinet member for planning and regeneration, said this week that the council could not commit to determining the change of use application.

He told the LDRS: “The council is expecting a resolution soon, but until such time as the ecological mitigation is in place, the habitats regulations prevent the council lawfully determining planning applications favourably for any new housing within the zone of influence.”

Mr Saggar bought the bungalow, a former pub, from Inland Homes in 2021, with a view to submitting a change of use application.

However, the property has been on the market to let as a nursery or a school for one and a half years, amid an apparent lack of local demand for such a facility.

Mr Saggar said: “All I need is a signature on a piece of paper saying, ‘yes you can use it for residential use’. It is as brand new as 2019. The council are stopping all habitation.”

The applicant also said the council refused his offer of housing key workers in the bungalow during the pandemic.

He added: “The real sad thing about it is that on the one hand we are arguing about new housing, and on the other, there is housing, you just will not allow it to be changed. It is just dysfunctional on a macro level.”