01 Nov 2023
Smallford neighbours are celebrating a victory over plans to convert what should be a country park into a massive quarry with a lifetime of 40 years.
Members of Smallford Residents Association joined forces with Ellenbrook Area Residents Association to oppose Brett Aggregates’ quarry application at Ellenbrook, which they said will blight their lives with noise, dust and traffic pollution caused by the operation.
SRA chairman Craig Tallents explained: “We have been fighting this application for the last seven years, including at a Full Planning Inquiry. Despite the applicant losing at every stage, they still come back with no regard to the decisions already made nor for the health of the local residents and their mental wellbeing.
“The pursuit of profit put once again above the interests of people. There has been no consultation, no engagement just the blind belief that we should accept their quarry and be grateful for all the risk that it brings to us as residents.”
The proposed quarry on the site of the former Hatfield Aerodrome would have seen the extraction of up to 8 million tonnes of sand and gravel, including dangerous silica dust.
Due to the production of silica dust, and the site’s proximity to the largest known bromate contamination plume in Europe, the application posed a risk to the health of local residents and students at the neighbouring University of Hertfordshire. The health risks posed by the site included, but were not limited to, an increased risk of silicosis, kidney disease, COPD, and cancer.
Mike Hartung of EARA said: “The area is home to the largest bromate contamination in Europe. The risk is that the extra deep extraction activities being pushed for by Brett will disturb the chemicals and cause it to enter the underground water supply and nearby rivers, causing harm to residents, wildlife and a large part of London’s drinking water.”
But at a meeting of Herts county council’s development control committee meeting on Tuesday, councillors voted 8-2 against the proposals.
Local Liberal Democrat county councillor, John Hale, told the meeting: “In 2019 the application was primarily opposed by the local residents’ associations, Colney Heath Parish Council and the local county councillors. Now in 2023 the level of opposition has increased demonstrating that the proposals are if anything less acceptable than the previous application.
“The officers were wrong in 2020 when they recommended approval of the previous application, as demonstrated by the inspector’s decision to dismiss Brett’s appeal and they are wrong now.”
He said after the meeting: “I am very pleased that the county council has voted against the planning application that would see a quarry built on the former aerodrome site. The application would have undoubtedly had long-term ramifications on both the local community and environment.
“This success is down to the hard work of residents’ groups who have petitioned tirelessly to stop this application from going through. This is a win not only for the local community, but for the local environment, and will have positive consequences for years to come.’’
St Albans MP Daisy Cooper added: “This is a fantastic outcome that has been years in the making.
‘’Local residents’ groups and councillors should be incredibly proud of their hard work. Together they have protected this vital green space from a big quarry, safeguarding the local environment and the health of residents and students for years to come.’’
The parish of Colney Heath, which the bulk of the site is on, has been impacted by more waste processing, landfill sites and quarries than any other parish in Hertfordshire.
