A DECISION to take no action against a holiday home developer that breached planning regulations by dumping thousands of tons of landfill into a Cotswold Water Park lake has been branded a travesty.

Critics slammed Cotswold District Council this week for not pursuing enforcement action despite finding Watermark Group had broken an agreement over the amount of building waste it was allowed to put into lake 31 at Cotswold Country Park and Beach.

Earlier this year CDC commissioned an investigation into claims that the Watermark Group breached its planning permission which allowed the developer to carry out bank restoration works as part of a scheme tio create a cable ski facility and fishery improvements. The company had carried out too much infilling.

But in a 25-page report to the council, the investigation panel said that while it was accepted there had been a breach, "it could not be reasonably demonstrated that the unauthorised works unacceptably affected public amenity".

It was therefore not in the public interest to take immediate enforcement action, councillors were told.

Instead, the company will submit a fresh planning application to set out how they will finish the landscaping of the lake's edge. It is understood that application will be dealt with by planning officers using delegated powers.

But councillors were categorically told no further infilling would be allowed.

And Watermark will be told it must have carried out all the work to repair the lake edge by next summer.

CDC Water Park representative Cllr Esmond Jenkins said the decision had set a dangerous precedent.

"Residents of the Water Park are in despair because they know that, when it comes to making a choice between their interests and those of developers, they will always lose out," he said.

"This has sent a very clear message to those powerful enough to exert influence that if they want to exploit the Water Park for profit they can ignore the rules and regulations without any sanction."

Fellow ward member Cllr Clive Bennett added: "We’ve have been elected to represent residents. If they keep seeing developers getting away with such breaches they would have even less faith in CDC."

Cllr Margaret Rickman also called for action and said the situation was a travesty.

Despite the opposition, members of CDC's planning committee backed the investigation panel's findings.

Cllr Sue Jepson, who chaired the investigation panel and subsequent report, said: "I am pleased that the report endorsed our officers initial conclusions and their advice not to recommend immediate enforcement action. The report is, in my view, very sound."