Campaigners fighting against the Radlett Airfield sale will decide on their next steps this week, following a disappointing ruling at the High Court.

Last month a High Court judge ruled that the controversial sale of the land was lawful, paving the way for real estate company Segro to build a freight terminal on the land.

In 2023, Hertfordshire County Council announced plans to sell the 1,000-acre site to Segro.

Opponents of the plan say it will bring thousands of extra lorries and vans every day onto already congested roads.

St Albans: Fight the Freight lodged an application for a judicial review, believing the sale of the land was 'unlawful' under the Metropolitan Green Belt Act of 1938.

They argued that when the council agreed to buy the land in the 1980s for just £1 it was on the condition it was to be preserved as permanent open space and could not be sold for development. 

Now the group are set to decide whether to appeal against the rejection of their plea for a judicial review.

Cllr Nuala Webb, one of the leaders of the group, said: "We still believe we have a strong case. We are still waiting for the written judgement and will need to go through that in detail with our lawyers to decide whether we have grounds for appeal.

"The judge was clear that the councillors who agreed to buy the 300 acre site for £1 in the 1980s intended to preserve it as open space for the benefit of the community. "

Read more:

• Radlett freight: Disappointed campaigners consider appeal

•  St Albans: Legal challenge lodged against freight terminal

• 'Save St Albans' campaign group disrupt A414 North Orbital Road

The group say that they are heartened by the precedent set in a similar case in Shropshire, where the Court of Appeal ruled a local council had sold land unlawfully because it was designated open space.

They hope that this precedent can be applied to their case.

The group will now meet and decide whether to pursue an appeal, with a decision expected later this week.

Cllr Webb said: "We know we have a strong moral argument but we now need to consider very carefully whether we have a strong enough legal argument for a successful appeal."