29 Sep 2023
Campaigners fighting the proposed rail freight terminal on the former Radlett airfield site to the south of St Albans have lodged a legal challenge in a bid to prevent the development from going ahead.
Save St Albans: Fight the Freight say they have evidence that shows serious failings in the way Herts county council sold 300 acres of Green Belt land in June.
The group say they have also uncovered covenants and documents that prove that the land, bought by the council for £1 in the 1980s was designated as permanent open space.
The group have now prepared a detailed legal challenge and are seeking a judicial review that could prevent building work on the site even though planning permission was approved by former Secretary of State Eric Pickles nearly 10 years ago.
One of the campaign leaders, Cllr Nuala Webb said: “Since HCC sold the land in the summer, we have intensified our efforts to show that the process has been flawed. It is quite clear from the evidence we’re uncovering, including the council’s own minutes and correspondence, that this site should be protected permanent open space.”
The group point to a similar challenge in Shropshire where campaigners prevented a development even though planning had been approved and the land sold to the developers. Campaigners there were able to show the land had been designated as permanent open space.
“The Shropshire campaign shows we can win this fight and stop this development, “ said Cllr Webb. “The way HCC has been so keen to sell valuable Green Belt, ignored local opinion, failed to investigate the implications and failed to secure funding for necessary improvements to the local infrastructure has been shameful. But although we know our opposition is morally right we now need a judge to rule that we are legally right as well.”
Campaigners raised more than £9,000 over three days last week to help fund the legal challenge which will go before a judge in the next month.
If the rail freight terminal goes ahead it will see five huge 20metre high warehouses on the site. The largest will be bigger than Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Forecasts also predict a 35% increase in traffic on local roads, with 3,000 additional HGV movements and at least an extra 7,000 cars and vans moving in and out of the site.
