Council-owned land at a former RAF aerodrome is set to be sold off for “30 pieces of silver”.

A Hertfordshire County Council panel has agreed the authority should part with the former Radlett Airfield site to make way for a new rail freight interchange near the M25 motorway.

Property developer and FTSE 100 company SEGRO already has planning permission to build the terminal on land currently owned by the council, Tarmac and the Gorehambury Estate following a government decision in 2014.

At a meeting on Thursday, December 1, the HCC resources and performance panel agreed the authority should sell off the land to allow construction to start, but some politicians believe the deal will not result in good value for money for taxpayers.

Councillor Sandy Walkington (LD, St Albans South) told his colleagues the land which is currently being used to keep livestock should be used to support public welfare, quality of life in Hertfordshire and “the legacy which we leave to our children and grandchildren”. He pointed out that a new country park is part of the build project.

Clrl Walkington added: “This simply isn’t the right location. We’re thrown under the bus for ‘the greater good’ - that’s what it feels like - and no lipstick on the pig, no country parks or whatever can change that.”

Cllr Walkington said he believes the sum of money in the panel’s recommendation to sell the land, which has not been made public, is below the market rate for the plot.

Cllr Caroline Clapper (Con, Radlett), who does not sit on the panel but spoke as a community advocate, said: “The decision is not just a financial one as this choice will have far-reaching consequences for the whole of Hertfordshire.”

She added: “Not only are we now considering the disposal of this land permanently, but whatever price is achieved now, this land in this location will only increase further in value over time.

“We have a fiduciary duty to our taxpayers to protect and enhance the value of our assets, and selling this land goes against that very duty.

"Secondly, we have a responsibility to our constituents, and the sale of this land will lead to horrendous increased congestion and pollution which will impact every one of them across the whole of Hertfordshire.

"This council, like so many others, declared a climate emergency in 2019 and set itself ambitious targets, but the sale of this land would achieve nothing to help the council.”

Claire De Silva, the Conservative Party’s parliamentary spokesperson in St Albans, said: “Residents have pleaded with me and Conservsative council colleagues to reconsider the sale of land to SEGRO and consider alternative uses which could generate the revenue which the council needs.” She urged the council to “save Park Street”.

Speaking on behalf of SEGRO, Andrew Pilsworth told the panel the new terminal would help meet environmental ambitions nationally, with each train “taking 76 lorries off the road”.

He pointed to the planning conditions which the Planning Inspectorate and subsequently St Albans City and District Council said SEGRO must adhere to if they are to build the terminal, which include £22million for a 1.4-mile relief road for the Park Street and Frogmore villages, as well as improvements to the A414 and the M25 junctions at Bricket Wood and London Colney.

Mr Pilsworth said: “We take our obligations very seriously and make sure we stick to them. National strategic benefits - the secretary of state granted planning permission in 2014 as part of a government policy to promote a national network of strategic rail freight interchanges.

"The objectives of this network are to shift freight from road to rail, to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions. Each train takes 76 lorries off our roads, and CO2 emissions are 76 per cent lower than they are on road for every tonne-mile travelled.”

A 2021 Network Rail map shows the terminal would link up with the Midland Main Line between London St Pancras, St Albans City and the East Midlands, and lists the Radlett site as “under development” rather than “proposed”.

The county council panel debated whether they could recommend including a clause in the sale agreement which would bind SEGRO to their planning conditions, but after taking legal advice, members agreed that if the project is to go ahead, improvements should be secured via other means, for example, by making “highways” representations to planning authorities.

Council members also heard from lawyers that they should not seek to “thwart” the principles agreed by external planning authorities - including the Planning Inspectorate’s decision to green-light the scheme.

The council’s cabinet is set to have a final say on the future of the Radlett Airfield site at a meeting on Monday, December 12. The panel agreed the cabinet should favour selling the land six votes to three.

Reacting to the recommendation, Daisy Cooper MP (LD, St Albans), who attended the panel discussion, said: “In 2014 the Conservative secretary of state decided to run roughshod over the wishes of the local district council, now the Conservative-led county council is set to back them up. If they do, a huge chunk of precious green belt will be damaged forever.

“Quite simply, this terminal is going to be a blight on the residents of Park Street, Frogmore and Napsbury Park and other areas for decades to come. This massive freight interchange is not wanted by our St Albans community, and was rejected by the district council.

“In the debate, there was considerable confusion over the legal position in terms of whether the county had an obligation to sell the land or not and what the red lines might be in terms of not ‘thwarting’ the will of the secretary of state.”

Ms Cooper added: “I urge the county council to seek further legal advice before a final decision is made and to publish all of the legal advice it has received so residents can scrutinise it for themselves.”