Cllr Sandy Walkington's last ditch attempt to stop Hertfordshire County Council from proceeding to sell its land for the giant SEGRO freight terminal south of St Albans lost by two votes today.
Sandy presented a series of arguments about the significant changes in circumstances since the planning permission was granted in 2014 to members of the council's Overview & Scrutiny Committee. In particular he asked why we should sign off on a deal which will leave Hertfordshire's council tax payers with unquantifiable bills for highway improvements and maintenance since only some of the road improvements are to be funded by SEGRO.
"It was really frustrating," Sandy said. "Afterwards councillors of all parties and officers told me how strong my arguments had been. Some of my points were not even addressed by the officers. But when it came to the vote, everything proceeded down dreary party tramlines. Every Conservative present voted to agree the sale and that was enough to win by two votes. It is a desperately sad day for Hertfordshire.
Bushey Lib Dems say the appeal must be refused: There are no Very Special Circumstances. Residents are overwhelmingly opposed to the development. The site is environmentally sensitive and a flood plain. It would likely generate 1,000 daily car journeys.
Hertsmere council have issued a new appeal for sites for future development. Residents will rightly want to know what this signifies. Looking at the detail, we see some positives, some negatives, but most importantly, no change on the crucial issues.
