Green Belt land in St Albans
More plans to build on Green Belt land could mean more than 25,000 new homes around St Albans.
The Crown Estate has revealed proposals to build up to 6,000 homes between St Albans and Hemel Hempstead just a week after Arlington Securities proposed 15,000 new houses on the former British Aerospace site in Hatfield.
Both proposals were submitted to a public inquiry into the East of England Regional Plan a plan which already recommends building 7,000 homes in the district by 2021.
The news has enraged local councillors and environmentalists who fear St Albans, Hatfield and Hemel Hempstead could merge into a giant conurbation.
The 7,000 target includes some homes which have already been built and the council believes the rest can be built without encroaching on Green Belt land.
But Councillor Chris Brazier, portfolio holder for planning, said of the new plans: "The Green Belt, the infrastructure, the roads and the schools just cannot support this many new homes.
"The natural separation between Hemel Hemstead, Hatfield and St Albans is being eroded. It is very dangerous."
The Crown Estate is asking for the East of England plan to be ammended to allow homes to be built on the edge of Hemel Hempstead and the M1. About half of the houses would be located between Leverstock Green and the M1 motorway along the Hemel Hempstead to St Albans Road. The rest would be sited between the Hemel Hempstead to Redbourn Road and the motorway.
Factories, offices and warehouses would be erected between Green Lane and the motorway to the north and south of M1 Junction 8 under the proposals.
A spokesman for the Crown Estates said: "We think the way the plan has calculated the number of homes is wrong.
"We could be wrong, but we think more will be needed. If we are right, this land is available.
"The M1 forms a natural edge, so this would be a natural place to do it."
Redbourn councillor Tony Swendell fears the plans would have major implications for the village. He said: "We live in a rural community; we do not want to be joined up with Hemel Hempstead or St Albans or Harpenden or Dunstable.
"We don't know whether it could be sustainable in this area. We are very short of water; our roads are very clogged and there are plans to expand Luton Airport which would make things even worse."
He added: "The planners won't be satisfied until we live in wall to wall concrete and we just do not want to live in that environment."
The development could also see land taken away from local farmers like Dan Simms, who owns Kettlewell's Farm off Hogg End Lane and leases land from The Crown Estate.
Mr Simms said: "I am already losing land to the widening of the M1 and the new junction 8 and if we lose more land to housing that will be a double blow."
Consideration will have to be given to the impact of the fire at the Buncefield oil depot, currently the subject of a public inquiry, before any development close to Hemel Hempstead can take place.
Councillor Brazier added: "Until we know the result of the Buncefield inquiries we do not know how the fire will affect local planning policies.
"No decisions should be made at present on any further developments close to this site."
A government taskforce will make recommendations this summer following the public inquiry into the East of England Regional Plan and a public consultation is likely to be held later this year.
The plans are set to be finalised early next year.
Date: Monday 20th February, 2006
