03 Jul 2023
The actions of county councillors have been compared to Christ’s betrayal by Judas Iscariot after they rushed through the sale of the former Radlett airfield site for a controversial rail freight terminal.
Weeks after ignoring a petition of more than 8,500 signatories calling for HCC to think again about the sale, it was announced without warning on Friday afternoon that negotiations had completed.
Developer Segro is now free to build the 1,000 acre terminal on Green Belt land in Park Street, just south of St Albans.
Tellingly, no county councillor – not even leader Cllr Richard Roberts – put their name to a statement confirming the sale, which also passed the buck to SADC to ensure the scheme was implemented.
The anonymous HCC spokesperson said: “This sale will pave the way for a new strategic freight rail interchange, new country park and a bypass to alleviate traffic pressures on Park Street. Not only should this development bring forward employment opportunities for the people of Hertfordshire, the use of rail for cross country freight will help the nation collectively reduce our carbon footprint.
“There are numerous planning conditions attached to the permission granted by the Secretary of State designed to ensure that local interests are protected, one being that the infrastructure is delivered. It will now fall to St Albans District Council as the planning authority to ensure that these conditions are complied with, and we will help them as much as we can to achieve this.”
But campaigners have accused HCC of betraying the people of St Albans,
Lib Dem county councillor Sandy Walkington, who has fought against the scheme for years, said: “Well the Conservatives have got what they voted for and the words ‘thirty pieces of silver’ come to mind. This is terrible news for St Albans and Hertfordshire. Council tax payers will rue the day as the overall impact becomes apparent. Massive traffic congestion, noise and air pollution during construction, destruction of the historic setting off St Albans Cathedral, disruption of commuter rail services, the list is endless. A bad, bad day for Hertfordshire.”
Cllr Nuala Webb, one of the leaders of the Save St Albans: Fight the Freight campaign said: “This is a sad day for local democracy and a sad day for the entire St Albans area.
“Herts CC have continued to ignore legal advice that they were under no compulsion to sell, they have blocked petitions against the sale from local residents and ignored mounting evidence that this valuable piece of Green Belt land will not be viable as a rail freight terminal and will instead end up as a lorry to lorry distribution centre, increasing the carbon footprint rather than reducing it.
“Indeed, it is ironic that Herts pushed through the sale in the same week that traffic on the A414 and around St Albans has been gridlocked day after day. This new terminal will only add to congestion and blight the lives of all those who live here.
“And the council continues to talk hogwash about the supposed benefits. The so called Park Street by-pass will be a service and perimeter road that won’t keep traffic out of the village and the new country park they say will be created already exists.
“ The whole sale process has been seriously flawed. Save St Albans: Fight the Freight continue to talk to our lawyers and, now the sale has been announced, will consider steps towards a possible judicial review. Despite the announcement, the fight is not over.”
