Park Street rail freight: MP urges cautious planning (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Park Street rail freight: MP, Anne Main, urges cautious planning

2:20pm Wednesday 13th February 2013 in News By Rebecca Perring, Reporter

St Albans MP, Anne Main, has urged The Government to make planning applications slowly and cautiously, in regards to plans for a rail freight terminal in Park Street.

At a debate in Parliament yesterday, which was focused on the need to get Britain building, MP Main placed emphasis on plans for a rail freight terminal near Radlett.

She urged the planning minister, Nick Boles, to avoid making rushed decisions and said the rail freight terminal was not justified.

MP Main, said: "To return to the site in St Albans, it will not benefit my constituency one jot to have a rail freight interchange. It would probably benefit Sundon quarry and the surrounding area because of the jobs that it would create, but it would not benefit my constituency if it happened in Radlett.

"I hope sincerely that the "minded to grant" decision is suddenly reversed to match the original three refusals, because those refusals were sensible.

In September last year The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles agreed to look at the rail freight plans in conjunction with a similar appeal in Colnbrook in Slough.

But in December he changed his mind and decided not to call them in for reconsideration.

His decision has been met with outrage by residents and councillors, who have been fighting the proposals to develop the former Radlett Aerodrome site for years.

Residents have organised a petition in a bid to bring a halt to the controversial plans and so far the petition has collected 7460 signatures.

The petition is asking Hertfordshire County Council not to sell the former Radlett Aerodrome located between Park Street and London Colney, to the developer HelioSlough.

To sign the petition visit: https://consult.hertsdirect.org/petitions/petition?petition_id=74614&all=1