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Railfreight developer's appeal overturned

11:44am Thursday 8th July 2010 in


CAMPAIGNERS have won their fight against the plan to build a massive railfreight depot on a former airfield between London Colney and Park Street.

Although inspector Andy Mead, who heard a six-week inquiry late last year into the controversial project, allowed the appeal by developer Helioslough, he has been overruled by Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Councillor Chris Brazier, district council cabinet member for planning, said: "This is wonderful news. It is a very good thing for the whole of St Albans."

Although Mr Mead was sufficiently convinced by the company's argument to award costs against the council, as well as allowing the appeal, Mr Pickles disagreed, ruling there are other sites for a major goods yard serving the area, in particular Colnbrook near Slough.

The key passage of the decision letter reads: "The Secretary of State is not satisfied that the appraisal of alternative sites has clearly demonstrated that there would be no other suitable location in the north-west sector (of the M25) that would meet the need for an SRFI (strategic rail freight interchange) in the foreseeable future in a significantly less harmful way than the appeal site.

"He therefore disagrees with the inspector’s opinion that it cannot be rationally concluded that the Colnbrook site would meet the needs for an SRFI in a less harmful way than the appeal site."

Councillor Brazier said: "Helioslough may go to the High Court and try to argue that the Secretary of State should not have overruled the inspector, but I would hope that the reason given is sufficiently robust to defeat that."

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Comments(13)

Vanessa says...
12:02pm Thu 8 Jul 10

What a relief! I cannot recall another matter that has so united the district and beyond.

Cathy Balshaw local resident of the year!

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DTH says...
12:16pm Thu 8 Jul 10

What a disaster! This is another blow for the campaign to get freight back on the rails. I hope the NIMBIES are proud of what they have done (I am a resident of St Albans by the way).

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tonyl says...
12:18pm Thu 8 Jul 10

Everyone except those who are looking for employment !

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DTH says...
12:33pm Thu 8 Jul 10

Jobs? What a trivial matter. Surely the most important thing here is the preservation of (Conservative) England's vibrant local house prices *ahem* I mean natural environment for the benefit of future generations (of my family).

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SABB says...
12:39pm Thu 8 Jul 10

I think you will find it is NIMBY. as in not-in-my-back-yard. If your going to throw around names you might as well get them correct

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SABB says...
12:43pm Thu 8 Jul 10

SABB wrote:
I think you will find it is NIMBY. as in not-in-my-back-yard. If your going to throw around names you might as well get them correct
"you're"

Plus didn't the evidence show that the majority of Jobs created by this building would go to those commuting into St Albans (as the majority of Jobs in St Albans currently).

Thus is it not wrong to suggest this will cost jobs in St Albans

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DTH says...
1:31pm Thu 8 Jul 10

Alright yes, technically 'NIMBIES' is incorrect as a term but you knew what I meant. No need to be a smart alex (or sorry, Alex). I do admit that I am in the tiny minority of people who were actually in favour of this scheme, so in a sense democracy has triumphed. But your gain here may be somebody else's loss, assuming Helioslough seek to re-open the case for Colnbrook. As I understand it from other reports, that site was rejected 10 years ago after a similar public enquiry. So how will those residents feel? Won't they be just as inclined to point at Radlett as a more 'suitable site'? What i'd like to have asked STRIFE and all the other objectors is 'do you really care for freight on the railways'? Because without these strategic road/rail terminals, intermodal freight will be limited in what it can deliver. Ultimately this can only mean an overall increase in lorry movements by road, albeit I suppose in 'someone else's back yard' (on the motorway network) and not in the immediate area. But that is why I ultimately find NIMBYISM so objectionable - whether it's nuclear power, wind turbines, pollytunnels or railfreight terminals - these people never really fight for the good of society, they fight for what is right for them.

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alannaps says...
2:10pm Thu 8 Jul 10

It would be a huge suprise if Helioslough were to re-open the case for Colnbrook, seeing as the site is being promoted (and I think is in fact is owned) by Goodmans.
Helioslough promoted Radlett as it was the only site available to them. They are not interested in the 'greater good', and all the good things they said about the site as to why it is the ideal location are being said by Prologis and Goodmans about the sites they own.
Is NIMBYism that bad? Or do you want property developers deciding the shape of your city?

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tonyl says...
9:59pm Fri 9 Jul 10

DTH, Watford. Dont be taken in by the propaganda . The few thousand who where convinced to oppose the project by the efforts of the few , including one failed would be MP who latched onto the campaign as part of his attempt to win votes , were in fact a small proportion of the people who live in and around St Albans .
By far the largest majority of us were not united against this development and yet a six figure sum of our council tax money has been spent by our district council and is possibly set to continue to increase as the matter is not cloed yet .

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Gary_B says...
11:48pm Fri 9 Jul 10

tonyl - Everyone I know who lives in the area didn't need convincing. They were against it from the start, mainly on the grounds of the traffic congestion it would have caused. The local roads here are stuffed full most of the time during peak hours. Adding thousands of lorries and cars to that would have meant only one thing - total gridlock at peak times.

I, like many others would like to get more fright off the roads, but wherever it is built, it <b>must</b> have direct access to a motorway.

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tonyl says...
8:35pm Sat 10 Jul 10

But not in our back yard !
Whilst I can apreciate your viewpoint it is not in the interests of those of us who do not live in your locality for our district council to use so much of our council tax money on an issue for which the majority of us do not possess a strong objection and it is wrong to claim otherwise .

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Gary_B says...
12:22pm Sun 11 Jul 10

tonyl - This wouldn't just affect the immediate area. Look at the scale of their proposal. It included parking for 1665 cars and 617 lorries. That lot would have affected not just the immediate area but most of the surrounding area as well. The number of objections received shows the feelings, not just of us in the immediate locality, but for the St Albans area as a whole.

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psmike says...
5:00pm Tue 13 Jul 10

I am pleased that the proposal has been rejected but very disappointed that local taxation had to be diverted to challenge it. There is an opportunity to discuss an alternative for the site, before an inevitable High Court Appeal, which will provide jobs, improve infrastructure and preserve and perhaps even enhance the local area. I moved to Park Street fully aware of the congested road system, lack of social housing, reducing job prospects, and the almost unnoticed expansion of commercial building south of Frogmore. I am therefore not adverse to sensitive, or even gradual redevelopment but I was disturbed by the self-interested greed of Helioslough.

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