Oliver yesterday wrote to the Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, Cllr Robert Gordon, warning him to not to sell the green belt land it owns to Helioslough.
The letter comes following a meeting convened by Mr Dowden between the Housing & Planning Minister, the Leader of St Albans Council and St Albans MP, Mrs Anne Main. It also follows the news earlier this year that St Albans District Council’s draft Local Plan was rejected by the Planning Inspectorate for failing to fully co-operate with its neighbouring councils.
As part of its white paper earlier this year on housing policy, the Department for Communities & Local Government indicated that it will soon be publishing a consultation on how local authorities determine their housing numbers. Targets for housing numbers have already been raised by the Government in recent years and the outcome of the consultation may well see numbers increased further.
Speaking today, Oliver said: ‘I have always been clear that I do not want any development to take place on this green-belt land. However, now that planning permission for a rail freight terminal has been granted, I believe we must consider alternative uses for the land, for instance building much needed homes. Almost anything would be better than a freight terminal clogging our already strained roads and railways.
‘I am clear from my recent meeting and Parliamentary Questions I have tabled that the fact a site has extant planning permission does not preclude releasing it for alternative use as part of a green belt review.
‘I believe that there is now a significant possibility that St Albans Council will have to begin drawing up a new Local Plan following the Planning Inspector’s rejection of their Draft Local Plan due to its failure to meet the duty to co-operate.
‘In order to meet this duty in any new plan that comes forward and to meet further housing targets from Government, the Council is likely to have to to release additional land for housing. This could be only be achieved by initiating a review of the green belt.
‘One of the sites that would likely come under consideration would be the site of the proposed Strategic Rail Freight Interchange near Radlett.’
‘I do not believe Hertfordshire County Council are required by a fiduciary duty to sell the site. However, if the land must be sold, I believe that the proper discharge of this fiduciary duty would require the Council to consider the greatly increased potential value of the land for housing should its green belt designation be altered.
‘I have therefore now strongly urged Cllr Gordon not to make any decision on a sale until after the process of drafting St Albans’ Local Plan is complete and final plans for housing numbers are clear.’
Oliver’s concerns were shared by St Albans MP, Mrs Main, who said: ‘If the council is obliged to sell, then all options must be explored.
‘What does concern me most at the moment is that we do not have any indication of how SRFI would work in practice. We’ve had no word from Network Rail how freight and commuter services will function on the line, what the timetabling will be and when the infrastructure upgrades will be done. It’s shambolic that we’re this far down the line, but have seen no evidence how rail freight will even work.’