KEEP EAST OF LUTON GREEN LATEST: Do you want to see Lilley Bottom swallowed up in a development of 5,500 homes on Green Belt land East of Luton? Villages under threat include N. Herts.' villages  Cockernhoe and Mangrove Green (see our East of Luton Briefing below for more information). We launched a campaign group - Keep East of Luton Green. Read our response to the Luton & S. Beds Joint Committee LDF Core Strategy Preferred Options, which includes these proposals. Current timeline: 3 Nov '09 Luton Borough Council decide NOT to support plans for 5,500 houses East of Luton. Dec '09: LBC received a letter from GO-East warning them its decision could put future Government funding at risk. Bloor Homes submit planning application for 1,000 houses on land to the south of Cockernhoe and east of Wigmore.   

WEST OF STEVENAGE LATEST 22 Dec 09: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced his decision to grant planning permission for 3,600 dwellings, business premises, shops, leisure, social and community facilities and associated infrastructure on land west of the A1(M) at Stevenage.  This follows the 2005 'minded to allow' decision letter asking developers and local authorities to negotiate a satisfactory planning obligations agreement for the provision of infrastructure and community facilities.  In the absence of a completed agreement between the parties, the Secretary of State has now accepted a Universal Undertaking from the Stevenage West Consortium of developers. There does not appear to be any scope to challenge this decision.  Read the decision letter

HERTFORDSHIRE VILLAGE OF THE YEAR 2010 ENTRY FORM NOW OUT  We are delighted that the Hertfordshire Community Foundation is sponsoring our Village of the Year Competition from 2010, in association with Hertfordshire County Council and North Hertfordshire District Council. 

BENINGTON WIND FARM: We opposed an application for three 120m high turbines at High Elms Lane, Benington. Read our response below. There is considerable local opposition. Permission was refused. An appeal has been submitted. The PI was held in December 2009, Inspector's decision awaited.

STRATEGIC RAIL FREIGHT INTERCHANGE PROPOSAL FOR RADLETT: The SoS dismissed Helioslough's appeal against St Albans DC's refusal of the first application in 2006. She indicated that, had the appellants demonstrated there were no other alternative sites for a SRFI in the north west sector of the M25, the decision might have been different. Helioslough's  second application, including a more comprehensive Alternative Sites Assessment, was turned down on 20 July, 2009. An Appeal Inquiry was held in Nov' 2009. Decision awaited. Read our response to latest application below