A Chalfont St Giles resident has blasted proposals to build 90 new homes in the village.

The proposals submitted by developers Paradigm were highlighted in a public consultation at the end of last month and include 90 new properties for the village.

The developers have said that the homes would be delivered via a Rural Exception Site planning application, which ‘guarantees the delivery of affordable homes reserved for people who can demonstrate a local connection to the village’.

Chalfont St Giles resident David Beer has blasted the proposals in a scathing letter to the Bucks Free Press, claiming that he and the community have been left feeling ‘betrayed and confused.’

Mr Beer said: “This site is clearly unsuitable for the vulnerable people Paradigm are seeking to ‘serve’ (ie. senior residents, young families, disabled individuals), as it has no public transport access, steep (and potentially dangerous) footpaths to it, 20-minute walk to the village centre and is near the future vent from underground HS2.

“A social housing company focused on its end users would have ruled it out on first inspection. Instead, Paradigm are investing vast sums of money trying to convince a local community and the Parish and District Council of the merits of the scheme.

“Thankfully, it seems that with a local petition with over 1,250 names on it, the community and the Councils recognise the scheme for what it is - a cynical attempt to exploit Green Belt by a company with questionable morals.

“Unfortunately, this proposal reflects an organisation that has lost its way in remembering its purpose to serve vulnerable people in suitable accommodation in appropriate sites, as opposed to opportunistic profit making.

“As a community we must support our Parish and District Councillors who, I am sure, will do their best to stop this proposal turning into a nightmare reality that could change the face of Chalfont St Giles for ever.”

Ahead of the public consultation, Martyn Jones, Executive Director of Development at Paradigm Housing Group, said: “Paradigm is committed to the delivery of high-quality affordable homes in Chiltern District, where we already currently manage several thousand homes.

“Preliminary data from our recent Housing Need Survey shows there is a real need for new affordable homes in Chalfont St Giles – which is exactly what the newly-adopted Neighbourhood Plan says.

“We believe that our emerging proposals represent a unique opportunity to deliver affordable homes for local people, in line with the Neighourhood Plan.”