Around 20 members of the public turned out at a meeting of council chiefs to show their concern about plans for extra gypsy sites in Dacorum.
Dacorum Borough Council's cabinet was deciding its response to recommendations for up to 15 additional caravan pitches in the borough.
The East of England Regional Assembly - as part of its wider housebuilding plans – has given two options of eith
er 13 or 15 extra pitches for Dacorum, which is roughly the equivalent of one site.
The cabinet has backed the lower number but it will not be until later this year, possibly November, that actual sites will be selected and then consulted upon.
Councillors also questioned the basis for the regional assembly's assumptions about the level of need for more gypsy sites.
Planning chief Ian Reay told the cabinet: "The actual sites will be consulted on later this year, perhaps next year.
"Our response is quite concerned about the lack of an evidential basis for these recommendations.
"There are sites over the region which are not fully occupied. We have one which isn't fully occupied.
"We could argue those vacant pitches account for the extra pitches we have to provide."
Environment chief Bert Chapman went further.
"If we have voids which are not used we should make sure that's towards this new allocation," he said.
"If we have voids that should be taken into consideration."
A total of 1,220 extra pitches are recommended for the entire Eastern region by the assembly and a public consultation is currently under way.
A public outcry followed the publication of a separate report which highlighted 30 potential plots in the borough that were suitable for gypsy sites.
Of these the most suitable were Featherbed Lane, Holtsmere End Lane and Green Lane in Hemel Hempstead, Swing Gate Lane in Berkhamsted, Icknield Way in Tring and Bovingdon Airfield.
