05 Aug 2026
The fight against 84 homes on farmland in Sandridge village continues, after councillors voted to defer a decision on the Green Belt scheme.
The proposals are for arable land owned by the Salvation Army behind Shottfield Close, with the council’s planning officer recommending approval.
Local campaign group Save Our Sandridge has been fighting the scheme, citing various reasons why it should not go ahead.
They say access would be into the narrow close and then onto Langley Grove, a road frequently congested with traffic from the school and the direction of Hatfield.
The Hertfordshire Way is a 195-mile circular route around the county using just public rights of way, mainly through open countryside, and the Shottfield development borders part of the walk as well as the eastern section of Heartwood Forest.
A bridleway to St Leonard’s Church is the main link between the site and the village centre, but this cannot be used by cycles, which makes a mockery out of active travel claims.
On Monday night, SADC’s development management committee agreed to defer the decision until its next meeting on September 7 to examine issues surrounding uncertainty over the proposed skylark habitat at Pound Farm.
The Salvation Army has offered to set aside patches of a field in Pound Farm – which they also own – for skylarks evicted from Shottfield to nest in instead.
A spokesperson for Save Our Sandridge said: “We are relieved that the developers are taking skylark mitigation seriously, and that we have a little more time to regroup and consider our opposition to the whole development.”
Add your support to the campaign – visit https://www.saveoursandridge.uk/
