Good news! Permission refused for new quarry at Ellenbrook Fields

We are delighted that Hertfordshire County Council has refused permission for a new minerals quarry at Ellenbrook Fields country park in Hatfield.

Ellenbrook is a highly valued green space, much-utilised by thousands of local people for their daily dose of nature and recreation. It’s a popular location for walking, running, cycling, bird-watching and other recreation. The meadows and woodlands at Ellenbrook are also a significant wildlife habitat.

Ellenbrook is situated within the Green Belt, which of course is intended to remain permanently open. It also forms an important green gap preventing the coalescence of the expanding urban areas of St Albans City to the west, Hatfield to the east, Smallford to the southwest, and Colney Heath to the southeast.

So we expressed our concerns when planning application PL/0232/21 was submitted for the site, proposing a new quarry including an aggregate processing plant and various ancillary facilities. If permitted, this would have meant the end of Ellenbrook Fields as the green space that people know and love.

But now there is good news for Ellenbrook! Hertfordshire County Council has refused permission for the application, citing 8 separate reasons why the proposal is contrary to national and local planning policies, including reasons of:

• Green Belt
• Heritage
• Residential amenity
• Landscape character and visual amenity
• Biodiversity
• Public access
• Cumulative and vehicle access, and
• Groundwater

Read the full Herts County Council decision notice for details.

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We are CPRE Hertfordshire, the countryside charity. We campaign to protect and promote the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside, for everyone to value and enjoy. We are a membership charity and we welcome all to join us – it’s easy and quick to join online.