PLANS to develop the Helmets site in Wheathamstead hangs in the balance as residents call for a development brief to be issued before any plans are put in place.

Wheathamstead and District Preservation Society have been opposed to plans to develop the site, not only because it is an historically sensitive area, but also because it is likely to be a largely residential development.

This would mean that the village's already limited resources will be stretched to the limit, which is particularly worrying for schools in the area.

However, the St Albans District Council says that so far no definite plans have been made for the site and that the area is not subject to a planning brief because it is on a flood plain which means that no brief is required.

Mr Larcombe, chairman of the preservation society, is calling for greater consultation between the council and the residents of Wheathamstead before any plans are put in place.

He said: "We believe that there should be the widest possible consultation with the local community and the sensitivity of this site in planning and conservation terms justifies in our view the preparation of a development brief."

The society is also calling for a flood risk assessment to be made of the site and also considerations to be made for the area which is also archeologically important.

The council, however, maintains that it may not be feasible to use that particular site for development, but if they do go ahead, they may do so without consultation of residents in the nearby area.

October 17, 2001 15:45

By Claire Ling