16 Aug 2025
An environmental group has issued a stern objection against plans for more than 1,000 new homes in north St Albans – the Woollam Park development.
The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust has criticised the planning application due to its impact on the Long Spring and Soothouse Wood local wildlife site and ancient semi-natural woodland.
The application proposes a 15 metre buffer to Long Spring Wood “to avoid any detrimental impacts that development may cause” – the minimum width recommended by Natural England and Defra.
The buffer was previously criticised by the Woodland Trust as insufficient for the size of the development, which suggested a 50 metre width instead, but no objections were made by the county council’s Herts LEADS (Landscape, Ecological, Archaeology, Design, Sustainability).
The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust highlighted the guidance which stated: “For ancient woodlands, the proposal should have a buffer zone of at least 15 metres from the boundary of the woodland to avoid root damage (known as the root protection area). Where assessment shows other impacts are likely to extend beyond this distance, the proposal is likely to need a larger buffer zone…”
HMWT planning and policy manager Simon Marsh added: “We conclude that a 15 metre buffer zone is inadequate in this instance, so close to a residential area. The effectiveness of a buffer zone is also linked to whether public open space elsewhere on the site is of sufficient quality to draw people away from the ancient woodland, and we are not convinced that this is the case.”
Gee Smedley from campaign group CLASH, fighting against the north St Albans development, added: “We support the objection letter from HMWT, which serves to highlight both the valid concerns of the Woodland Trust in relation to ancient woodland, but also highlights the failure of Hertfordshire LEADS to properly interpret the buffer distances needed to preserve and protect ancient woodland.
“We are dismayed that Hertfordshire LEADS have no objections and should review their position in light of a second very knowledgeable consultee expressing serious concern with the current scheme. St Albans School should withdraw the application on the grounds that the layout does not protect ancient woodland as required in the National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Practice Guidance.”
