10 Apr 2026
Villagers from two rural communities which face being blighted by Green Belt housing developments are joining an unprecedented National Day of Action just weeks before crucial district council elections.
The Community Planning Alliance – made up of local campaigners from across the UK – is highlighting the need to protect nature, parks and green spaces by rallying communities to publicly make a stand.
On Saturday April 18, campaigners will be staging more than 115 events nationwide that celebrate, protect, and champion the green spaces people love, including locally in Sandridge and Redbourn.
These non-partisan, community-led initiatives aim to show decision-makers of all parties that nature matters to the electorate, and that safeguarding green spaces is a shared national priority.
They follow the perceived weakening of environmental protections by the Government and the threatened concreting over of nature.
In the St Albans district, 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, while the East Hemel development will see 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. Meanwhile Sandridge, which dates back to Saxon times, is facing proposals for more than 100 new homes on Green Belt land to the east and west which could push hundreds of cars onto narrow country lanes unsuitable for these levels of traffic.
The first scheme, on an agricultural field behind The Green Man pub off Sandridgebury Lane, would be for 49 houses, while the other, on arable land owned by the Salvation Army behind Shottfield Close, is for a staggering 84 homes.
Campaign organisations Redbourn Residents Group and Save Our Sandridge say they are joining the day of action to protect their local Green Belt, countryside and farmland for future generations.
In Redbourn, there will be a procession of tractors down the High Street, a mile-long walk around the common to celebrate local green spaces, a wildlife walk led by a member of Wild About Redbourn and a history walk by one of St Albans Tour Guides.
Independent councillor David Mitchell said: “I have been fighting to save the local Green Belt for 15 years now, both as chair of Redbourn Parish Council and as the Redbourn Ward district councillor, so I am delighted that more and more residents are recognising the challenges we have ahead of us.
“The Redbourn Day of Action, organised by local residents, is going to send a strong message to St Albans district council and the Government that much more needs to be done to protect our countryside.
“Redbourn could be wiped out as a rural village with up to 5,000 houses proposed on the surrounding Green Belt. Mostly this is a result of the draft Local Plan that would see nearly a third of new houses in the district being built in the Parish of Redbourn.
“This is compounded by the Government’s new planning rules that allows Green Belt to be reclassified as Grey Belt that can be built on. Nearly all the local land around Redbourn is high quality agricultural land, the sort of land we should be protecting for growing our food, not destroying by over-development.
“I will be taking part in the Redbourn Day of Action and I’m sure, many residents will be too. It is a day to celebrate what a wonderful place Redbourn is and hopefully will continue to be if the politicians listen to what residents are saying to them!”
Deana Barge from Redbourn Residents Group added: “Redbourn residents greatly appreciate how lucky they are to have an area of common land in the centre of the village, an area enjoyed by many for different activities and village events.
“The Common, however, is only one area of green space around the village, along with others enjoyed by walkers, protecting our chalk streams and rivers, protecting and developing wildlife and providing much-needed agricultural land during a time of global change and rising food costs.
“The Day of Action will highlight how extreme housing overdevelopment is threatening our national green spaces,which could disappear forever. Redbourn is delighted to be involved in this activity and have planned a number of events throughout the day, starting with a tractor procession through the high street at 11, then various walking activities to highlight the history of Redbourn, the wildlife within it and celebrating with food stalls and live music.
“We hope many people will join us on the day to raise their peaceful appreciation of our green spaces and concerns in the face of housing overdevelopment plans.”
In Sandridge, supporters will be forming a human chain from the village hall to the bus stop outside the Queen’s Head pub to create a visual show of community support. They will also be holding a community dog walk through the village onto the Hertfordshire Way by the field up behind Langley Grove and Shottfield Close.
Villagers explained why they are holding the event.
Carolyn Bass revealed: “In a time when the nation’s mental health and the many threats to the environment are at the forefront of what matters to the public, the last thing the Government should be allowing is the blatant destruction of our green spaces for profit.
“The Green Belt was protected for decades and for good reason.
Now it’s being ‘redesignated’ as grey or brown belt purely as an excuse to concrete over it. Once it’s gone, there’s no turning back. There are plenty of genuine brownfield sites to redevelop and these should be utilised first.
“Also, with the current uncertainty worldwide, can we afford to lose agricultural land when we may very well be needing to grow a lot more of our own food instead of relying on past trade deals? The world is changing rapidly and we need to be prepared for self- sufficiency should the worst happen.
“As far as Sandridge is concerned, we are already suffering from many problems which will be exacerbated by increased housing.
“The roads are overcrowded and crumbling, the sewage system and water supply struggling (the water pressure is a joke). There are not enough schools or hospitals for the current population let alone thousands more families. We need additional infrastructure and facilities before we start piling more pressure on an already inadequate system.”
Jean Baker said: “In the era of multiple developments our green spaces are quietly disappearing. Our parks, fields and the open countryside we take for granted is increasingly under threat.
Our green spaces are not just pleasant places to walk the dog or play with the children, they are fundamental for our physical and mental wellbeing.
“We are all aware about the youth of today spending too much time inside on technology and we encourage them to get outside, to feel the fresh air on their faces which helps reduce stress levels and improves mood. The countryside definitely recharges us, but if we lose our green spaces we lose the lifestyle that comes with it.”
And Janey Hulme added: “We are having to protect our lovely Green Belt, local wildlife and indeed our way of life in the countryside, following the Government redefining Green Belt, thus allowing St Albans district council to relinquish the very strict planning controls that exist for Sandridge, currently defined as a ‘washed over’ village – a planning term that severely restricts any new development to protect open countryside.
“The developers will find it a great deal harder to ‘wash over’ the new protectors of Sandridge!”
For full details on the timings of events taking place locally in Sandridge and Redbourn, see the Day of Action posters below.
