11 May 2024
A decision by the Planning Inspectorate to approve a development of 53 houses on Green Belt land on the northern side of Ragged Hall Lane is a further blow to villagers in Chiswell Green say campaigners, but what are the wider implications?
Despite detailed surveys of the usage of the very popular rural footpath St Michael FP10 which traverses the Ragged Hall Lane site, and a transport survey that demonstrates that the site could not be considered sustainable in transport terms, local residents were not successful in persuading planning inspector Simon Dean that the development should be refused.
Despite only a 200-metre strip of Green Belt land currently providing the separation between Chiswell Green and St Albans, the inspector’s assessment of the site was that there is already no perceptual separation of the village from St Albans and therefore no additional harm would be caused by the development.
It comes within just six weeks of the Secretary of State’s decision to approve 721 new houses on Green Belt land on the western boundary of the village, and recently announced plans for 190 homes in Bricket Wood on what is known as the Copeswood development.
Local resident Robert Bolt, who has followed planning in the parish for 20 years, said: “We’re under attack! This is like nothing we’ve experienced in the past. With the developments already approved, then the Copsewood application, plus those recommended for approval through the Local Plan, Chiswell Green will literally double in size, and that doesn’t count the application in Lye Lane for 115 new houses which is going in front of the Planning Inspectorate on June 11.
“We are fully expecting all these developments to be approved, but where is the infrastructure to support the existing residents, let alone all the new residents?
“Modifications to the A405 dual carriageway will see two full sets of traffic lights, a separate crossing and a roundabout all between the Tippendell Lane roundabout and the M25. It’s ludicrous. With the 10,000 additional vehicles expected to be generated by the Strategic Rail Freight Interchange, the A405 will be gridlocked, morning, noon and night, and any vehicles that can will divert and come through Chiswell Green, where they will be sitting in traffic queues at the five-arm traffic lights that are proposed to replace the double mini-roundabout!”
Local campaign group, Keep Chiswell Green, has lodged a claim for a judicial review of the Secretary of State’s decision to approve the Cala Homes and Headlands Way (the Polo Field) developments, and are hosting two public meetings to enable residents in the district to hear more about the judicial review process and to ask whatever questions they might have.
Chair of the group, Shirani St Ledger McCarthy, said: “We have to speak up, we have to stop the governments – national and local – from making these decisions which appear to satisfy one set of needs, but completely ignore the implications of the decisions on the existing population.
“Government housing targets are based on predictions, estimates and suppositions. Of course, we have to help those who have a genuine need for housing, but the current 300,000 number is arbitrary – a guesstimate of future need, just like the targets put forward by the other parties which are all different. We need to make the government understand that housing needs to be better thought through – for the sake of existing residents in an area, but also for the sake of the new residents.
“We need to consider all the usual infrastructure issues – employment, schooling, health care – but also community, air quality and climate change, mental health, leisure time. Tacking huge new developments onto villages, such as in the case of Chiswell Green, does not address any of the above and will cause problems for all the residents as well as a reduced quality of life.”
Local residents have rallied to the call to support Keep Chiswell Green with volunteers delivering 2,500 leaflets within five days to all properties from the Noke roundabout to the King Harry pub, the Park Street roundabout to the Verulam estate.
A significant number of fundraising events are being planned such as a quiz night, sponsored walk and summer fête, with KCG needing to raise around £45,000 to fund the costs of a judicial review.
“One good thing that has come out of the Cala and Polo applications is the sense of community that has been built up with everyone pulling together to raise money and defend our Green Belt,” said campaigner Bea Savage. “I urge all residents, their families and friends, to come to our public meetings on May 12 or 16.”
