Development Plots of Land
Thursday 3rd April, 2003
Council officers have identified 85 potential development plots of land across the St Albans district, Hertforshire.
Dozens of sites in the St Albans area may be removed from the Green Belt, as councillors struggle to find space for housing development.
Planning officers at St Albans District Council have said about 2,500 homes will need to be built on greenfield sites by 2016 if county council housing targets are confirmed.
They pinpointed 85 potential locations in examining whether boundaries of the local Green Belt, which protects scenic and rural areas from developers, could be changed.
Local councillors and residents, desperate to save cherished open spaces in their own localities, attended a committee meeting last Thursday when the list was whittled down to about 30 sites.
Villagers from Chiswell Green, who packed the meeting, were rejoicing after the committee agreed to remove three threatened sites from the list, including land around Chiswell Green Lane, which supports bats, badgers, foxes and deer.
One said: "It is just amazing to be able to look over to the fields and the horses - once you start building, you start building."
But a group from Redbourn was disappointed when, despite pleas from councillors Pat Schofield and Christopher O'Donovan, the committee voted to keep options open over two plots by Blackhorse Lane and Stephens Way.
Chairman Chris Whiteside summed up their dilemma when he said: "The trouble is, we must put something somewhere. If we take too much out, we will start having to put things back in"
Redbourn councillor Tony Swendell said after the meeting: "The Green Belt is the protection for rural societies.
"It is constantly under attack, and we were disappointed to lose those two areas. Once you take something out of the Green Belt, you can't put it back."
Officers identified 19 sites around the city itself, recommending 13 to go through to the next stage of consideration, but councillors threw out three, including nearly six hectares of land near Bedmond Lane.
But the threat of housing remains over 47 hectares around the city, including land between Harpenden Road and Sandridgebury Lane and plots including school playing fields at Beaumont and Nicolas Brakespear.
The remaining sites will be considered at a meeting on May 22 before being discussed by the council's cabinet.
Sites to be considered for removal from the Green Belt:
St Albans area
- 5.3 hectares between Harpenden Road and Sandridgebury Lane
- 7.3 hectares north of Hatfield Road and West of Winches Farm Drive, including Beaumont playing fields
- 22.7 hectares between Acrewood Way industrial area and Smallford, including former Ballito sports ground
- 1.5 acres playing fields north of Boissey close
- 1.5 hectares north of Colney Heath Lane
- 3.5 hectares at Nicolas Brakespear School playing fields, excluding playing fields to the south
- 0.6 hectares south of the Cannons Club, Highfield Drive
- 2.2 hectares between Verulam Golf Club and London Road
- 0.9 hectares behind Corder Close
- 1.5 hectares between River Ver and St Albans School
Park Street
- 1.2 hectares south of Buydell Lane
- 3.6 hectares west of Watling Street, Fromore divided into four areas
How Wood
- 2.3 hectares between Park Street Lane and the railway
- 1.6 hectares west of Orchard Drive and east of the A405
Bricket Wood
- 2.7 hectares at Five Acres Country Club - decision deferred
- 1.5 hectares behind Bucknalls Drive
- 3.5 hectares north of the Building Research Establishment - decision deferred
Chiswell Green
- 4.6 hectares west of the Noke Industrial Estate, likely to be used for development of the hotel
Redbourn
- 2.4 hectares at Blackhorse Lane
- 0.7 hectares at Stephens Way, including children's playground
Harpenden
- 12 hectares south-west of Ambrose Lane
- 0.9 hectares west of Piggotshill Lane
- 3.6 hectares at Hatching Green, including former MAFF laboratories
- 1.8 hectares south of Rothamsted Experimental Station, including car park
Wheathampstead
- 0.8 hectares off Codicote Road
Sandridge
- 2.4 hectares east of the village, off Woodcock Hill
Sites excluded from development
Harpenden
- 0.7 hectares next to Falconers Field
- 3 hectares at Roundwood Lane
- 8.87 hectares at the Highfield Oval and BUPA Hospital at Ambrose Lane
- Land off Riverside Close
- Land north of Red Cow Yard in Westfield Road
- Land at Bowers Heath Lane
- Land next to Marquis Lane
- Land at Aldwick Manor in Wheathampstead Road
- 0.09 hectares at Batford Forge off Lower Luton Road
- Land at Grove Farn
- Land at Cross Lane
- Land at Beesonend Lane
- Land at Townsend Lane
Wheathampstead
- 0.19 hectares at Meads Lane
- Land at Wrights Meadow
- Land next to Wheathampstead Education Centre
- Rose Lane properties
Sandridge
- Land at Fairshot Court
- Land at Highfield Road
- Land at St Albans Road, south of former Baptist Chapel
- Land north of former Baptist Chapel, south of Hopkins Crescent
St Albans
- 3.5 hectares at 148 St Albans Road
- Land north of London Road cemetery
- Land south of London Road cemetery
- Land at London Road, north-west of London Colney roundabout
- 16.4 hectares fronting the A414 North Orbital Road, including Ayletts Garden Centre
- 17 hectares in Napsbury Lane
- Land at Verulam Golf Club
- Land between Bedmond Lane and the M10
London Colney
- 2 hectares to the rear of Willowside and Armstrong Close
- Land at Osier Cottage
Park Street / Frogmore
- 2 hectares south of Burydell Lane and east of the River Ver
- Land south of Minster Court, Frogmore
- Land off Old Orchard
- Land to the west of Watling Street
How Wood
- Land north of Tippendell Lane
- Land between Tippendell Lane (How Wood) and Hawfield Gardens (Park Street)
- Land behind Mayflower Road
Bricket Wood
- Land at Ash Dale and Lye Lane
- Land behind 82 and 84 Mount Pleasant Lane
- Land at Wistaria, near the A405 and M1
Chiswell Green
- Land north and south of Ragged Hall Lane
- 7.8 hectares at Noke Side and additional land south of Chiswell Green Lane
- 2.5 hectares at Chiswell Green Farm south of Chiswell Green Lane
- Land west of The Croft and Cherry Hill
Redbourn
- Scout Farm site in Harpenden Lane
- 13.07 hectares east of Redbourn and west of the A5183
- Land at Builders Yard in Chequers Lane
- Land off Lybury Lane
Other sites
- Land at Mutchetts Wood, Garston