EAST Herts Council is dealing with outdated policy when it makes decisions on possible development in Bishop's Stortford's Green Belt, according to Chamber of Commerce chairman John Gearing.
He said ten-year-old council policy allowed for the development of housing for Stansted Airport staff but not the infrastructure to support it.
Restrictions on building on the Green Belt were also preventing the town from capitalising on increased demand for services.
He said: 'It's stifled natural economic growth in the town. There have been thousands of people moving into the town but without the access roads, schools, park land and public facilities needed to cater for them. 'We're left with all this pent-up demand which is going nowhere. It's a real Catch 22 situation.'
He said East Herts Council's decision not to allow a £500,000 parking development on Green Belt land at the football club was an example of the restrictive policy holding back the town.
'The council needs to be forthright, choose a view of how the town should develop in the future despite policy, and be consistent.
'Otherwise people are going to vote with their feet, or their cars, and just go elsewhere.'
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