A MASSIVE 250-bedroom hotel could be built on Green Belt land in St Albans, if a planning application gets approval.

The huge complex would feature conference and banqueting facilities, lakes, tennis courts, a full-size football pitch, a leisure spa and separate staff accommodation with 68 rooms.

A B Hotels Limited, a consortium of local businesses led by Sopwell House Hotel managing director Abraham Berjerano, plans the hotel on agricultural land at the junction between North Orbital Road and the M25, just north of Bricket Wood.

The application will be considered at a district council planning meeting within the next few months. However the contentious nature of the scheme means it may go to the Secretary of State on appeal.

Councillor Chris Whiteside said: "We do need more hotels in the district, so it's not going to be chucked out without any consideration. But the Green Belt issue is obviously a big one."

The proposal is welcomed by those in the tourism industry, but a backlash is expected from residents and environmentalists.

November 8, 2001 18:30