St Albans councillors hit out at Hertsmere's district plan

The Bowmans Cross development is due to be built on the border of the Hertsmere and St Albans districts

Councillors have criticised plans to build 6,000 homes in a neighbouring district, warning that the area could "grind to a halt".

Hertsmere Borough Council's draft Local Plan proposes that 2,400 homes are built by 2038 in a new settlement on the district's border with St Albans.

An additional 3,600 homes are also expected on the land before 2050.

Leaders at St Albans Council have expressed concern about a lack of a plan for roads, schools and GPs.

Hertsmere is consulting on its draft local plan which requires 12,160 new homes in the borough between 2022 and 2038 to meet their housing target, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It suggests many will be built in a new settlement of Bowman Cross, near London Colney.

St Albans District Council leader, Liberal Democrat Chris White, raised concerns at its Local Plan Advisory group about how an "already incredibly stressed" road network would cope with an estimated 15,000 extra people.

"We don't hear about the key issue as far as I see it, which is that the whole area is going to grind to a halt," he said.

Conservative opposition group leader, Mary Maynard, said "the schools in St Albans are notoriously full" and asked what would be done "in terms of providing adequate education for children who live on that site?".

She also said there was no GP surgery in the plans.

Hertsmere Borough Council's planning policy manager, Mark Silverman, said four primary schools and one secondary school were in the plans and a new health facility was also on the cards.

St Albans District Council will submit an official response to the consultation, which runs until 6 December, with a second plan expected in Spring 2022.

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