PUBLIC CONSULTATION 10th OCTOBER – 22nd NOVEMBER 2014
During this period details are on the St Albans District Council website:
www.stalbans.gov.uk
Or see our link on www.redbournparishcouncil.gov.uk
Exhibition at the Parish Centre, Weds 22nd October from 2.00 – 8.00pm.
PROPOSED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
“East of Hemel – North” in Redbourn Parish
Around 1500 houses are being proposed on this site by St Albans District Council. A further 1000
houses are proposed to the south. To the west, 1000 new house have already been approved by
Dacorum Borough Council, so there could be 3,500 new houses in the area. To put this in
perspective, Redbourn currently has 2300 houses.
BACKGROUND
St Albans District Council (SADC) are updating their housing development plan, known as the
Strategic Local Plan (SLP). This plan is to run for 20 years, though, as it has already been delayed,
the period actually runs from 2011 - 2031. The draft SLP is now being put to Public Consultation to
get residents’ views – see info opposite.
HOUSING NUMBERS
SADC commissioned an independent housing requirement forecast, and it was decided 8720 houses
were needed over the twenty year period, or 436 houses per annum. This figure takes into account
the needs of the District’s current residents along with the needs of the anticipated influx of new
people to the area, mostly from London. Any figure over 250 pa means that the District’s Green Belt
would have to be used for housing.
GREEN BELT REVIEW
An independent Green Belt Review was commissioned which identified 8 large sites in the District’s
Green Belt for potential development, as well as 8 smaller sites. It is the larger sites that SADC is
looking at in the SLP. These sites performed well in their function of protecting the countryside but are
less important than elsewhere in the District, according to the Review. Two sites East of Hemel
Hempstead (but in St Albans’ District) are included. The Green Belt Review recommended that these
sites should be used last of the 8 sites, and possibly reserved for beyond the plan period (after 2031).
However, the SADC planning officers felt they should be used first, and narrowed the 8 sites down to
4.
ST ALBANS PLANNING OFFICERS’ ASSESMENT
Putting aside the time-frame recommendations of the Green Belt Review, and assessing the sites
East of Hemel purely from a development point of view, the SDAC planners felt that the East of
Hemel sites were the only sites that were large enough to provide extensive housing and the
necessary infrastructure to go with it.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The East of Hemel sites would provide at least 2500 houses (with 1500 on Green Belt in Redbourn
Parish). In addition to housing, the SADC planning officers say the sites would be big enough for a
new secondary school, new primary schools, new roads, shops and a travellers site. Before any
development went ahead, a master plan would be necessary, which as the development is wrapped
around East Hemel, would be done in consultation with Dacorum. Dacorum have told Redbourn
Parish Council that, in due course, they would want to discuss with SADC about whose housing
targets the development would count towards.
THE SITE IN REDBOURN PARISH
On the map opposite, the area in yellow is where the Green Belt Review recommended development
in Redbourn Parish. SADC, however, have been indicating that the site would be larger than this but
the boundaries are yet to be decided and they want to keep their options open. Therefore, the area of
Green Belt at risk of development, either now or in the future, is that contained by the red line.
Somewhere in between is most likely.
DENSITY
Housing would be an average of 40 dph (40 dwellings per hectare). A hectare is a bit larger than a
football pitch or slightly smaller than Redbourn’s cricket pitch on the Common! This is denser housing
that in the past but is being recommended by the Government for suburban estates. If the housing
density was lowered, more Green Belt would have to be used, either here or elsewhere in the District.
EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
The District Council must demonstrate that exceptional circumstances exist to change the Green Belt
boundaries. Redbourn Parish Council doesn’t believe that such exceptional circumstances exist in
Redbourn Parish.
REDBOURN PARISH COUNCIL VIEW
Redbourn Parish Council is against development on our Green Belt but recognises the need for
housing in the District. However, putting most of this housing between Hemel Hempstead and
Redbourn doesn’t provide homes where most St Albans’ residents need them. The housing target of
436 pa should be reduced, and housing for the London overspill provided elsewhere in the country
where investment would be welcome.
CHAIRMAN’S COMMENT
My view is that, yes, the country needs new houses, but the answer is not to build massive highdensity housing estates on the Metropolitan Green Belt. For decades it has protected our countryside
from urban sprawl and saved villages like Redbourn from being swallowed up by Greater London.
You only have to look at major cities around the world to see what could have happened here. It may
be politically correct to build houses, but to do so on the Green Belt, is morally wrong.
R.A.G.E.
We have now formed the action group R.A.G.E. – Redbourn Against Greenbelt Erosion.
For more on this, see our RAGE Facebook page or email RAGE@redbournparishcouncil.gov.uk.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION by St Albans District Council 10th October to 22nd November.
Details can be found by visiting the St. Albans District Council website: www.stalbans.gov.uk, or via
the website of Redbourn Parish Council: www.redbournparishcouncil.gov.uk. The District Council
want as many people as possible to respond online, but you can also respond using conventional
methods.
NB Exhibition at the Parish Centre, Weds 22nd October from 2.00 – 8.00pm.
Redbourn Parish Green Belt land under threat