St Albans has lost green belt equivalent to 100 football pitches
11th December 2007
Anne Main has today expressed concern at Government figures which show that St Albans District has lost the equivalent of 100 football pitches of green belt land in the last ten years.
Anne Main, Member of Parliament for St Albans, has today expressed concern at Government figures which show that St Albans District has lost the equivalent of 100 football pitches of green belt land in the last ten years.
The figures, uncovered in a Parliamentary Question by Eric Pickles, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, show that St Albans lost 50 hectares of green belt between 1997 and 2006.
Anne said
"This is a cause of great concern. A sad fact is that once green belt has been lost, it can never come back.
We are under huge pressure to deliver land for development and we need to be vigilant as to where we build. Our green belt is being threatened on all sides as housing totals escalate and this could lead to a situation where St Albans will be effectively joined up with Hemel Hempstead or Welwyn Hatfield.
I am afraid the Government has set its sights on building on our green belt and we need to robustly see off any proposals that significantly compromise our precious asset. Developers see the Government's desire to build as a green light to trample on our green belt.
The 419 hectare site at Radlett, currently in the sights of Helioslough is yet another example where developers feel encouraged by this Government's lack of commitment to the green belt.""
