FEARS that a large hotel planned on Green Belt land near Chiswell Green will harm the countryside are misplaced, according to former St Albans MP Kerry Pollard.

A planning application for a hotel complex on a partially wooded plot of land along the A405 now occupied by several disused buildings was submitted a week ago by a company controlled by former Review owner Alan Drake, who publicised his scheme in an exhibition this summer.

Mr Pollard, acting as a consultant on the project, told the Review: “This is not some lovely piece of rural land where people go and walk their dogs.

“There is a large disused house on it, a bungalow and some outbuildings.

“It is right next to the Burston Garden Centre – the largest warehouse in St Albans.

“There is clearly a need for it – the East of England Regional Assembly says we need 700 hotel beds in St Albans, so even when this is built there will still be a shortage.”

"There is going to be a lot of landscaping and a path across the site, so this is enhancing the area for local people – not taking something away.

“You couldn't put a hotel like this right in the city centre – this is an ideal site for it.

“This will be Hilton's flagship hotel in the UK.

"Everybody involved has lived in St Albans for many years. We wouldn't be doing it unless we were confident it was going to be good for St Albans.”

The proposal envisages a “prestigious” complex with a 150-room four star hotel using the Hilton Doubletree brand.

It includes a conference centre big enough for 500 people, a 120-room budget hotel and a 32-room staff hostel.

The backers claim it will bring an extra £6 million per year into the St Albans economy and 130 jobs.

Other potential benefits include the use of its car park for a park-and-ride scheme to ease city centre traffic.