Leaving the site open prompted fears among neighbours that travellers will be
free to move onto the large car park and set up an unlicensed camp.

Jeremy Mellins, a local GP who lives next-door-but-one to the site, said: “I
think this is straightforward blackmail.

“They are trying to exact revenge on people who opposed their plans and trying
to force them to drop their objections.

“They are using it as a threat.”

Dr Mellins, 36, said the proposal for a travellers’ camp was all the more
remarkable because despite being a publicly-listed company which builds
projects across the country, Inland Homes is based less than half a mile
away from the site.

“They are soiling their own doorstep,” said Dr Mellins.

Mr Wicks emailed residents this week: “Inland homes has been treated
appallingly by Chiltern District Council who have refused to consider any
reasonable approach by our company for the development of this site.

“We will be applying for the land to be used as a site for travellers on
Friday.”

^{The Pheasant closed in 2012 and plans to demolish the pub were submitted
early in 2013 (John Lawrence / The Telegraph)}

He added: “If the council will not allow much needed homes on this site, what
do you suggest we do?

“All I can suggest is that the residents lobby the council and help us to
resolve this situation.

“Homing travellers in the meantime will mean that some good use is found for
the site whilst a longer term solution is found.”

The Pheasant closed in 2012 and plans to demolish the pub were submitted early
in 2013.

Chiltern District Council then listed the building and plans were made to
convert it to residential use in a revised application for nine homes.

Mr Wicks told The Telegraph: “Unfortunately we are rattling a few cages
at the moment.

“But we want to get it back on the agenda with the council and the local
people.

“It isn’t neighbourly but I’ve been doing this job for nearly 35 years and
developers are not very high up in the public regard.”

He added: “It’s unfortunate that residents have been upset by it but we have
been backed into a corner.

“After two years of banging our heads against a brick wall we have reached the
point of despair.

“The local authority has thwarted every attempt to get a reasonable solution
to the site.”

The £110 million company currently has 35 other projects in progress across
the south east and nowhere else has Inland experienced such obstructive
planners, Mr Wick said.

A spokeswoman for Chiltern District Council said: “At the present time there
has been no breach of planning control, but we are monitoring the site and
if any breach does occur we will take appropriate action.”