A £5 million investment to minimise the impact of the biggest housing development “in the past ten years” was discussed at a public meeting this evening.

The proposed Leavesden Park development, a 45-hectare site in Aerodrome Way, will bring an estimated 1,063 new residents to the area.

MEPC, the developer, has proposed to contribute to primary and secondary education, libraries, sustainable transport, children's play areas, and traffic regulation, to alleviate the site's impact.

An increased amount of affordable housing, now 35 per cent, was also included in the latest set of plans discussed by Three Rivers District councillors.

Liberal Democrat ward councillor for Leavesden, Stephen Giles-Medhurst, described the investment as “a significant windfall for the district, which goes a long way towards alleviating the impact of this development.”

The leader of the Conservative party, Chris Hayward, revealed that only 21 out of 1,000 residents replied to a consultation over the site.

However, as previously reported in the Watford Observer, Watford Borough Council argue that the development is inappropriate for Green Belt land, and claim that it will have more of an impact on Watford than Three Rivers.

As the application is so large, members of the development control committee again only discussed the plan, rather than making a decision to refuse or approve it.

Speaking at a meeting on January 20, councillor Giles-Medhurst, described the development as on a scale “not seen in the past ten years”.