Villagers left feeling “angry and unrepresented” - who can blame them? (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news & views by texting st albans to 80360, or email us
Woodland Trust and St Albans District Council must listen to Sandridge residents
10:25am Tuesday 9th November 2010 in Columnists
Are we making out point? Yet nobody is listening to Sandridge villagers.
A QUICK look at the Woodland Trust’s website is quite revealing.
There is a lot of information about Heartwood Forest with the trust also appealing to readers for their help in stopping developers and councils ripping up irreplaceable ancient woods and trees.
Interestingly, it does not mention its own plans to bulldoze through Green Belt land in Sandridge to create a highly controversial access road so Heartwood Forest visitors can park their cars.
On Sunday, more than 100 people walked around the car park site which was given permission by St Albans District Council back in August.
It is not the car park that angers villagers, but the proposed access road which will meet the busy B651 forming a potentially dangerous junction.
No doubt there will be those who, like me, find it somewhat strange that villagers should be in a position where they need to defend their precious Green Belt land from the clutches of the Woodland Trust.
Those living in Sandridge made their feelings particularly clear about the proposed road very early on – however, it was still given the go-ahead despite their concerns.
Now we are not talking about some cantankerous old neighbour moaning about the shed at number 57. These are mothers and fathers, grandparents and professional people all with the same subjects on their minds: safety and the environment.
A petition has been signed, protests have been made and grievances have been aired at meetings yet nobody is taking any notice of them.
The Woodland Trust maintains the car park – and therefore the access road – is “good for Sandridge”.
Councillor Martin Frearson, who voted for the project, said traffic fears were not supported by “experts” at Hertfordshire Highways. But we all know it usually takes a serious road accident or even a fatal car crash to get that lot involved.
Meanwhile residents have been left feeling “angry and unrepresented”.
And so they might.
Those who attended Sunday’s walk have had their eyes opened and the district council and Woodland Trust could find themselves in a position where it may be in their best interests to get back around the negotiating table and listen to the concerns of those who will be affected the most.
They can either do it now or face constant reminders from villagers and this newspaper every time an accident occurs on this new road.
Comments(2)
davidterrar
says...
10:23am Sat 13 Nov 10
Hertfordshire Highways have been the key organization involved in the planning process, and only accepted the current car park on safety grounds. HH believe that the alternate position that the Action Group prefer would be unsafe because it would require a pedestrian crossing along with other reasoning. I don't want to defend their position - that's up to them, but this kind of misrepresentation of the facts does nothing to help the Action Group's cause with the organizations, like WT, who want to help. WT actually have planning consent. They could start work on the Car Park and access track tomorrow, but they haven't because they want to bring the Villagers along with them. If you want to help I would suggest you join the campaign to get Hertfordshire Highways attention, which I believe is the Action Group's best strategy.
I'm chairman of Sandridge Parish Council. Our stated policy is this:
○ We believe a car park is essential.
○ Road safety concerns are paramount and we will be guided by the appropriate experts.
○ We are happy to support the residents and Heartwood Car Park Action Group in their campaign to find viable alternatives.
Please do something constructive to help rather than propagate misinformation.
FatBob says...
10:43am Tue 9 Nov 10