05 Feb 2026
Redbourn residents have launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for vital legal advice to fight the overdevelopment of the village.
As extensively covered by the St Albans Times, developers are bidding to add thousands of homes onto Green Belt land in the vicinity of Redbourn.
Approximately 1,000 homes are planned for a 104-acre open arable site on the northeast edge of the village, between Dunstable Road, Harpenden Lane and the Redbourn bypass.
The proposals by the Lawes Agricultural Trust (LAT) – a charitable trust which owns the estates at Rothamsted in Harpenden – would apparently include a new two-form entry primary school, a potential new care home, around 23 football pitches’ worth of open space, play areas and other enhancements around the River Ver chalk farm, and up to 50 per cent affordable housing.
But the development will see 42 hectares of Green Belt land reclassified as grey belt and the size of the village population increase from 2,200 to 3,200 houses.
Meanwhile, the controversial East Hemel development will see a further 4,000 homes on 975 acres east of Hemel , south of the B487 Hemel Hempstead Road (Redbourn Road) and north of the A4147 St Albans Road.
The scheme has been submitted by the Crown Estate, and forms a key part of the Hemel Garden Communities (HGC) programme – a long-term commitment to transform Hemel Hempstead through the delivery of up to 11,000 new homes and thousands of new jobs by 2050.
The East Hemel site is allocated for development in SADC’s draft Local Plan, which will set the planning policy for how areas like this should be designed and developed.
Now members of Redbourn Residents Group are aiming to launch a legal challenge to oppose the schemes.
Organiser of the crowdfunding campaign, Nick Johnson, explained: “Redbourn is at significant risk of overdevelopment with plans to add 5,000 houses, predominantly on Green Belt land around the village.
“Despite more than 2,000 people signing our petition to stop these developments, SADC are saying their hands are tied by national government rules.
“It is clear we will now need to mount a direct legal challenge in order to be taken seriously and protect our home.
“For that reason, we need to raise up to £100,000 to appoint key solicitors and planning experts to undertake a judicial review of opportunistic planning applications.
“Please donate generously if you can to support this cause, protect our Green Belt and stop the destruction of Redbourn as we know it.”
The campaign has already raised almost £4,000. You can donate here.
Funds raised will be used to support legal, planning, and professional action aimed at resisting inappropriate development affecting Redbourn, including but not limited to the appointment of solicitors, barristers, planning consultants, environmental experts, and associated disbursements.
