Campaigners lodge legal action over Radlett Aerodrome plans

An artist's impression shows how the former airfield would be turned into a rail freight terminal

Campaigners have lodged a legal challenge to stop a rail terminal being built on green belt land.

Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) sold the former Radlett Aerodrome site to Segro in June.

Fight the Freight says it is taking legal action against the council as the site was designated as permanent open space.

HCC said it had been a difficult decision to sell the land but "all due process" had been followed.

Campaigners from the Fight the Freight group want a judicial review that could prevent building work on the site.The proposal for the rail freight terminal was first lodged in 2006 but the district council continuously refused planning permission over fears of damage to the green belt land.

In 2014 Secretary of State for Communities Eric Pickles granted permission for the plans.

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

In 2020, St Albans District Council withdrew its opposition in a "major concession" to proceed with locally drawn up plans to meet its 2036 target of 14,608 houses.

District councillor Nuala Webb, Liberal Democrats, said: "The process has been flawed.

"The way Herts CC has been so keen to sell valuable greenbelt, ignored local opinion, failed to investigate the implications and failed to secure funding for necessary improvements to the local infrastructure has been shameful.

"But although we know our opposition is morally right we now need a judge to rule that we are legally right as well."

Conservative-run Hertfordshire County Council said: "The council took the difficult decision to sell the land after planning permission for the site was granted by the secretary of state.

"The decision to sell the land followed all due process and the council worked tirelessly to secure the best value for taxpayers."

Campaigners raised more than £20,000 over the weekend to help fund the legal challenge, which will go before a judge in the next month.

Campaigners say if the rail freight terminal goes ahead it will see five 20-metre-high warehouses on the site.