Homes threat to school fields leaves a sour taste in the mouth (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

St Albans District Councils planning committee reveals

11:15am Tuesday 2nd November 2010 in Columnists By Martin Buhagiar

St Albans District Council’s planning committee is its own worst enemy sometimes.

Less than a week after rejecting proposals for a multi-use games area at Nicholas Breakspear School, the planning policy advisory panel revealed some of the school’s land could soon house 150 new homes.

Funny that.

As the Review revealed last week the planning department recommended the sports pitch proposal should go ahead, yet the planning committee, led by its portfolio holder Chris Brazier, rejected the application.

Reasons given included the added traffic.

Fair enough.

But I cannot help but think that if the already congested Colney Heath Lane cannot cope with another 40 odd cars dropping children to off to play football, how will it manage more homes?

Last Thursday night the Review attended a meeting of the planning policy advisory panel where its chairman, the very same Cllr Brazier, read out a statement confirming Nicholas Breakspear School on a list of greenbelt sites in St Albans still at risk of being developed.

Playing fields by Beaumont School – which also recently had a planning application turned down – is also on the list.

Maybe we now know why the Lib Dem administration wanted to discuss future housing sites behind closed doors.

Whatever the reason, the planning committee and planning policy advisory panel are hardly covering themselves in glory.

And if members of both the panel and committee believe the people of St Albans are so stupid that they cannot to see what is going on, they can think again.