A long-running saga over the potential construction of a rail freight terminal could be drawing to an end.
An undisclosed offer to buy the land that was formerly Radlett Aerodrome in Park Street has been made, Hertfordshire County Council has confirmed.
The proposed buyer is property investment firm Segro which has planning permission to build a new freight interchange.
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The highly controversial project received the green light from then Secretary of State Eric Pickles in 2014.
The terminal would sit on a 3.5 million square metre area of green belt – the size of 490 football pitches – and likely include a huge rail and lorry park complete with warehouses, lorries, container storage and HGV parking, bringing thousands more HGVs onto local roads every day as well as impact the railway.
There have been several campaigns to fight the depot including STRiFE (Stop The Rail Freight Exchange) and cross-party MPs including St Albans’ Daisy Cooper and Hertsmere’s Oliver Dowden.
Mrs Cooper said: “Just last week, I wrote to Hertfordshire County Council to reiterate my opposition to the rail freight terminal, and to demand that residents are given the opportunity to speak directly to the decision makers about their concerns.”
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Park Street district councillor Nuala Webb added: “Residents here are incredibly frustrated with this recent news, and I share their concerns.
“But it’s not just Park Street and the surrounding areas that this will affect – this will mean gridlock between the M1 and A1(M) and all roads around.
“It brings no benefits to our communities.”
The county council says the depot could create around 3,500 permanent jobs on-site and a new bypass via the Park Street roundabout is proposed, along with the creation of a country park.
Selling off the site, which has also been considered for a garden village, could also mean a “significant” amount of money for local public services at a time when budgets are “extremely stretched”.
Any sale would need to be agreed by all landowners, which includes the council, Gorhambury Estate and Tarmac.
The council’s Cabinet will make a final decision on whether to proceed with a sale at a meeting on December 12 with a discussion to also be held at a public council meeting on December 1.
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