From my view, this buffer protection could easily allow a beacon with 1 plot to have “additional” 24 plots (i might be wrong here. Correct me later) without actually spending his/her plots
I agree with this. Those player would have enough plots to keep the neighbours out.
I am proposing a special beacon type or a toggle in a beacon to change its type from normal beacon to reservation beacon
The reservation beacon is simply a “fence”. It will not have a settlement status, doesn’t generate footfall but it can still be built on