A St Albans councillor has resigned from the Conservative party following the government’s "monstrous" decision to green light a massive rail freight terminal in his ward.

Park Street councillor Stephen Bowes-Phipps announced last week he would be resigning from the party with immediate effect after the secretary of state decided in July to grant planning permission for a rail freight terminal on the former Radlett Airfield. 

Listing Eric Pickles decision to "ignore localism", Stephen described the decision as a "monumental mistake" worsened by the duplicitous way Eric has previously stated that he will defend the Green Belt "only to then destroy it in St Albans with a wave of his hand".  

Stephen said: "I felt it my duty to register my dissatisfaction with the party and coalition government as a whole.

"I can make a stand because it is happening in my back yard. 

"I want the party hierarchy to know I feel let down."

St Albans MP Anne Main said Councillor Bowes-Phipps’ resignation was "regrettable". The conservative MP said: "Stephen is a very good councillor and I understand how bitter and hurt he is at the railfreight decision - we all are.

"It is important to stress that planning is a legal decision and is not influenced by anything other than law. 

"I am still hopeful the flawed planning decision will be exposed."

Stephen will continue as an independent councillor for Park Street until the next elections in May. He has waited several months to announce his decision because he didn’t want the decision to be a "knee jerk reaction".

He added: "I didn’t know in July if the council would appeal the decision. 

"As we get closer to the general election I realised I couldn’t go door knocking and defend what we had done - the indefensible.

"The damage that Labour and the Liberal Democrats inflicted on St Albans, by combining with a local protest group to kill off the Strategic Local Plan process in 2012, hastened the path towards this decision."

Members of the opposition have welcomed the resignation, including Councillor Jacob Quagliozzi - Labour’s deputy leader.

He said: "I welcome the resignation, even if it does come a whopping 71 days after the decision that he says prompted his departure. 

"The Cuban Missile crisis, The Coalition Agreement and the Brazil World Cup all took less time to negotiate than it took councillor Bowes-Phipps to resign. 

"Councillor Bowes Phipps might have become too ashamed to call himself a Tory to the electorate, but he remains one at heart and he will continue supporting them on the council.

"The absurd claim that it was Labour and the opposition parties who brought about the rail freight decision is an outright lie. 

"If he really believes it, let him debate me publically about that, any time, any place. The truth is, it was a Labour secretary of state who turned the Rail freight proposal down and it was a Tory - Eric Pickles - who approved it. 

"Politics and personalities should not get in the way of the fight we still have left on rail freight, let’s ditch the spin and work together."

Stephen got into politics more than three years ago to help prevent an incinerator in Frogmore. He said continued: "I enjoyed helping and supporting people. 

"The decision to resign has been one of the hardest I have ever made. I am a local person first and a party person second. Everyone has been incredibly supportive on the whole.

"I don’t regret the decision I feel like I have done the right thing and how many politicians can say that."

Councillor Bowes-Phipps’ decision will strengthen the role of Independents and the district’s only Green councillor in decision-making. 

For everything you to know about railfreight see our handy timeline here.