“DEVASTATING” plans to build an industrial compound on Green Belt land in Heronsgate have been ‘bulldozed’ through at the last minute, according to the leader of Three Rivers District Council.

If built, the compound, on agricultural land used by wildlife, would be used to house workers and equipment during the widening of the M25 by Junction 17.

Rather than seeking planning permission from residents, land owners and the council, Skanska/Balfour Beatty – contractors for the Highway Agency – have put forward a General Permitted Development Order which allows them to bypass ordinary planning rules.

Three Rivers District Council leader Ann Shaw said the 25-acre compound by Long Lane and a nearby dump for topsoil and waste, also on Green Belt land, would be an “environmental and agricultural” disaster.

She added: “We live in a democracy and yet they can just jump out of the hedges at the last minute with this. We were told no extra land would be needed and now they’ve changed their mind.”

The Heronsgate Residents Association described the situation as the “most important planning issue since the creation of the M25”.

To view and comment on the Highways Agency proposal visit www.threerivers.gov.uk.

People have only been given 20 days from today to comment.