“Why sell off family silver at pawn shop prices?”

Cllr Dreda Gordon’s question came this morning in response to a petition urging Hertfordshire County Council not to sell land earmarked for a rail freight terminal in Radlett.

The petition, which received 11,500 signatures, was formally presented to the council at a packed-out cabinet meeting in Hertford.

The development at the former Radlett Airfield was approved in July last year and St Albans District Council lost its latest appeal against the plans in March.

Hertfordshire County Council owns around 300 acres of the land and said it would consider whether to sell it to developers Helioslough when all legal action has ended.

Speaking in the debate on Jay Baillie’s petition, Sandy Walkington, Liberal Democrat county cllr for St Albans South, said the terminal would affect the whole county.

He said: “This is the biggest single issue to have confronted this county and this council in modern times. It goes way beyond party politics.

“I look across this chamber to the executive members. With all legal avenues exhausted, you are where the rubber hits the road.”

Labour’s Dreda Gordon questioned why the land would be sold when it could be redeveloped after 30 years as a freight terminal. She asked the meeting: “Why sell off family silver at pawn shop prices?”

Responding to the petition, council leader Robert Gordon created a motion saying the council recognises that its prime duty is to the residents and the county.

But they also said circumstances could arrive under which it would have no other alternative legally but to sell the land at the former Radlett Aerodrome site.

The motion read: “Hertfordshire County Council regrets that, should circumstances arise under which the council would have no lawful alternative but to dispose of its land, it currently seems unlikely that there will be an alternative use which would secure at least equivalent value.”

The motion, which was unanimously agreed after a cross party debate, added: “Notwithstanding its preference not to see a change in the current green belt status of this land or to dispose of it, the council calls upon the to use the resources of the council proactively to seek alternative uses for the site which would secure value thereby potentially giving cabinet more than one option to consider should the council become legally obliged to dispose of the land.”

Cllr Hayward said no developer had made an offer for the site at the moment. He added: “Let no one be in any doubt, we understand the public support against this development.

“However we have to be realistic and we may be forced to dispose of the land. We will do all we can to defend it.”

The freehold of the land was transferred to the county council in 2006 with a covenant limiting its use to "agricultural, open space and recreational purposes" for 21 years.

Organisers of the Don't Sell Green Belt to Helioslough petition said the county council's "prime duty” is to local residents.

The petition asked the council refuse to sell its site to the developers.

It read: “Don't sell Green Belt to Helioslough We, the undersigned, call upon Hertfordshire County Council (a) to recognise that its prime duty is to local residents (b) to acknowledge that it is not obliged to sell any part of the Radlett Aerodrome site; therefore (c) to refuse to sell its site to Helioslough.”

To date, more than £1.5 million has been spent by the St Albans District Council on the fight against the terminal.