STRIFE

Link to St Albans District Council press release on submission of appeal by developers:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 20.02.07

STRiFE WELCOMES THE ST ALBANS CITY AND DISTRICT COUNCIL DECISION TO REFUSE PLANNING PERMISSION FOR A RAIL FREIGHT INTERCHANGE AT THE FORMER RADLETT AERODROME.

STRiFE welcomes the decision of the Planning Referrals Committee of St Albans City and District Council to refuse Helioslough’s application to build a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) on the Former Radlett Aerodrome immediately to the South of the city.

This has to be entirely the right decision” says Bill Hammond, STRiFE spokesman. “It is the first step towards defeating an inept and vexatious application which would have a devastating effect on our City and surrounding villages.”

The Committee unanimously refused the application, accepting their officers’ recommendation. Officials gave 15 separate reasons for refusing the proposal including failure to make the very special circumstances required for a green-belt development of this nature, and failure to demonstrate the Needs Case for a SRFI at the aerodrome site in terms of road and rail infrastructure. “This endorses the STRiFE view that there is no justification for this application in either Planning or Transport, or Environmental terms,” Bill continues.

“The STRiFE Team would like to thank everyone who turned up at the Alban Arena last night to hear the Planning Referrals Committee come to their decision. It was a fine example of local democracy in action and a clear signal that people are becoming increasingly concerned about the threats to our City and its environs. However, this is only the first skirmish in a longer battle. Going into the future we hope to retain the support of all those who have encouraged and assisted us over the past eight months.”

“As a result of this decision STRiFE now looks forward to working with the St Albans, Hertsmere and the County Councils in fighting off any appeal made by the Developer,” Bill continues. “We have also had incredible support from all the major political parties which has proved immensely valuable. This has taken STRiFE’s case into all levels of government. We hope this valued cross-party political support will continue throughout the rest of the campaign.”

In their report, the Council's Officers point to a number of instances where the procedures used by Helioslough to justify the former aerodrome as the best site for a SRFI do not comply with the Government's required methodology for assessing possible locations, calling it variously ‘flawed’, ‘inadequate’, and ‘contradictory’. The application is also criticised for pre-empting a survey by the East of England Regional Assembly, the strategic body with responsibility for identifying potential locations for rail freight interchanges within the Eastern Region, which includes St Albans and the surrounding districts.

“We find this highly unsatisfactory and note that in the opinion of some consultees, this application should never even have been lodged,” says Bill “Now it seems hundreds of thousands of pounds of Tax Payer's money in St Albans and Hertsmere is being used to fight off an opportunist development on an inappropriate site selected by a flawed process. If Helioslough take this to appeal, we can expect even more Tax Payers’ money to be spent, possibly running into millions of pounds. We find this an extraordinary situation.”

Bill also points out that the people of St Albans have better reasons than most for wanting to see an efficient and well planned UK-wide rail freight system put into effect. “We are surrounded on three sides by motorways packed with lorries, yet the Helioslough proposal fails to address this. It actually exacerbates current congestion by adding 3.5 million vehicles a year to an area which already suffers from traffic levels 35% above the national average. This seems extraordinarily negligent for a project which claims to be founded on the premise of delivering national economic and environmental benefits,” Bill points out.

“When this application was lodged at the end of last July 2006, Helioslough insisted they had solved all the technical problems. Yet here we are eight months later, with an alleged ‘national’ transport project failing on 15 points of planning and without the necessary road and rail connections required to make it function. Helioslough has lost all credibility in regard to this proposal and has done nothing to advance the cause of Rail Freight in the wider community,” Bill continues. “The sooner we see the back of this application, the better it will be for everyone.”

STRiFE, the campaign to stop the Strategic Rail Freight Interchange at the Radlett Old Aerodrome, claims the lives of thousands of St Albans residents will change forever if the development goes ahead. “This is why we are holding an ‘Awareness Day’ on Sunday (10^th), at the Farmers Market, and a Christmas Social Evening on Monday (11^th)” says Cathy Bolshaw the STRiFE campaign co-ordinator. “This is by far and away the most devastating threat that St Albans has faced in generations.”

“We are faced with an industrial complex which if placed over the city of St Albans would extend from the King Harry, through the city centre and on up to Marshalswick. In area, it is four times the size of Verulam Park, and to put it in another perspective, no less than 17 Wembley Stadiums can fit onto its massive footprint” Cathy continues.

“And if that were not bad enough, the developer also proposes to put in excess of three million additional vehicles a year onto the North Orbital Road, (A414), between the Park Street and London Colney roundabouts, and over a million of these will be heavy goods vehicles”. Cathy added, “We have to alert everyone to the threat that is facing us all.”

STRiFE Campaigners, and Anne Main MP, will be distributing leaflets and talking to Christmas shoppers in the City Centre on Sunday. The STRiFE ‘Christmas Social’ is being held on Monday 11th December, 8-11pm, at the Greenwood Park Leisure Centre, Tippendell Lane, Chiswell Green. Tickets are £10 per head or £15 per couple, all proceeds will go to the Campaign Fund. Its BYOB, glasses and FOOD will be provided! Tickets will be available on the door, or by sending a cheque to STRiFE ,PO Box 932, St Albans, AL1 9GG. We look forward to seeing you this weekend.

STRIFE threat on rail-freight plan

29 June 2006

OPPONENTS of the giant rail-freight terminal planned for Green- Belt land between St Albans and Radlett say they plan to fight fire with fire.

A new campaign team STRIFE - Stop The Rail International Freight Exchange - has been set up to fight the application by Helioslough for an International Rail Freight Terminal at Radlett Aerodrome.

The team has expertise in various fields including lawyers, rail managers, commercial property developers, economists, engineering designers and an independent planning consultant. All the experts live locally and are working together to build a case against the proposal.

Campaign co-ordinator Cathy Bolshaw said: "We have a great team of heavyweight experts now working together. When Helioslough put their application into St Albans District Council next week, STRIFE will swing into action to fight this proposal for the benefit of us all. We have to try to preserve this large piece of Green Belt land."

A website is being set up and further details will be released shortly.

Mrs Bolshaw, who lives in Park Street, said the group's main objections to the scheme were the erosion of the Green Belt, the increase in traffic in an already-congested area, the noise of the freight trains and light pollution all night long.

She added: "We also object to the urbanisation of the land around here. That means there will be no land left in between St Albans and Radlett, London Colney and Park Street."

Helioslough maintain the harm is outweighed by the benefits which include a 614-acre country park which will be developed around the terminal. A spokesperson for the firm said the layout of the park would prevent coalescence between the districts.

But Mrs Bolshaw disagreed: "We already have a great tract of forest land which provides a natural habitat for wildlife. It is totally unspoilt and that's the way we like it. We have no need for an artificially-created so-called country park. They are offering us precisely nothing."

n The £250 million plan is likely to be called in by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister because of its national strategic significance.

If it does go to public enquiry St Albans District Council could face a bill of £500,000 to cover the costs of expert witnesses, legal representation and administration. More than £25,000 has already been allocated to hire consultants with specialist knowledge of the rail freight industry.

END