Chiswell Green residents applaud refusal to build on green belt

Objections from residents were received from 452 addresses prior to the meeting on 17 October, as well as organisations such as Chiswell Green Residents’ Association, St Albans and District Footpaths Association, CPRE The Countryside Charity Hertfordshire, St Albans Civic Society, and the Keep Chiswell Green campaign group.

Councillor Ajanta Hilton, one of three Liberal Democrat councillors representing St Stephen ward, which includes Chiswell Green, spoke against the plan to build hundreds of “affordable” houses on green belt land.

“The developer asserts there are special circumstances to override the green belt protection in providing this affordable housing, but do the benefits of affordable housing outweigh the harm to the green belt? Is this development even affordable?” she posed.  

“Lack of local employment, few local amenities, mostly a car journey away, a quiet village with significantly elderly population, overstretched health services, a lack of secondary school education places – it really doesn’t sound like it.”

Fellow St Stephen councillor, Giles Fry, joined forces with Anjanta at the meeting:

“I was elected back in May 22 and the biggest issue on the doorstep with residents was about this particular concern,” he said.

 “My job as a counsellor is to represent the community in matters such as this, and with the total amount of objections that have been logged on the website, the community of St Stephen is actually making a very clear message of saying ‘no’ to this particular development.”

He added: “We must be mindful that the granting of this application would also clear the way for other nearby developments, which may total some 1,500 new houses. We simply cannot afford to set this precedent where the green belt is destroyed for ever.”

Councillors on the committee voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the planning officer to refuse the application on the grounds that the scheme failed to demonstrate “very special circumstances” to justify building in the green belt.