Radlett Aerodrome rail freight depot fight dropped by council

St Albans District Council hopes the government will now approve its local plan

Plans to build a long-disputed rail freight depot are to go ahead after a council withdrew its opposition.

Planning permission for the depot at Radlett Aerodrome was granted in 2014 despite St Albans District Council wanting a 2,000-home village there.

Councillor Jamie Day said the "major concession" was the only way it could proceed with locally drawn up plans to meet its 2036 target of 14,608 houses.

If not, the local plan would be "drawn up by Whitehall civil servants".

The plan to build a major freight depot at Radlett Aerodrome, which is near the Hertfordshire town, had been opposed by the district council for about 15 years.

It lost a High Court appeal against the plan in 2015, after it received government approval.

The council wanted to build a 2,000-home village on the site as part of its local plan, which was approved in 2018 after an "extensive consultation" with local residents.

But government inspectors said "robust and compelling evidence" demonstrated Radlett was "the only realistic option" for the rail freight depot's location.

The council will now need to find an alternative site for a 2,000-home village

Mr Day, who is the council's portfolio holder for planning, said the "major concession... effectively brings to an end our long fight against the rail freight depot".

He added: "I hope our residents understand that we had no choice as it is clear we cannot stop the depot from being built by earmarking the land for housing or by any other means.

"If we do not accommodate the depot, we will not be allowed to proceed with the local plan and it will be drawn up by Whitehall civil servants instead."

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The council now hopes government inspectors will accept its local plan.