L&G's proposals do not conform with our District's new Local Plan and as such they should be rejected in their entirety. The new Local Plan has just been approved by St Albans District Council and it is likely to be submitted in early December for final review by Planning Inspectors. It could be fully approved and in place as early as the summer of 2025.
The new Local Plan would restrict L&G's use of NW Harpenden Green Belt and reduce the size of their development to c.300 homes compared to c.550 homes in the current proposal. It would also give the Council more rights to force developers to fund improvements for local infrastructure. This would slash L&G's profits and force them to rework their plans, so it appears they are desperately trying to push their scheme through now to protect their own profits.
The new Local Plan is intended to protect residents from precisely this type of unplanned, speculative development, so we urge the Council to reject L&G's proposals.
