St Albans: Update provided on Local Plan after election

The long-awaited plan is likely to see areas of Green Belt land in St Albans and Harpenden released to meet the demand for 15,000 new homes by 2041.

The issue of whether or not to build homes on Green Belt land has been a hotly contested topic both locally and nationally, with Britain's deepening housing crisis clashing with environmental concerns.

Following last Thursday's poll and a June 25 meeting of the St Albans City and District Council Planning Policy and Climate Committee, an update to residents has been provided.

Councillors have been told that the draft plan is being amended and will be published in October, with a two month public consultation to follow.

Housing policy has been put firmly under the spotlight this week following the change of government, with new Chancellor Rachel Reeves using a speech on Monday to announce the return of government housing targets and a review of Green Belt boundaries.

Labour want to build 1.5 million houses over the next five years.

Read more:

• St Albans: 'Imperative' that Local Plan is submitted by mid-2025

• Local Plan 'will fail' say campaign group

• St Albans and Harpenden: The areas to be released from Green Belt

But council leader Cllr Paul de Kort (Liberal Democrat, Harpenden East) said: "The government has been watching our attempts to produce a new Local Plan very closely, threatening to intervene if we do not make swift progress.

"It is far better if locally-elected representatives decide on the details of our Local Plan rather than Whitehall, which will not have a feel for the area. 

"It is also vital that we establish an effective defence against piecemeal development proposals which do not meet the needs of our communities.

"The Local Plan is an evolving document and should the housing requirement change, we can make appropriate revisions."

The housing crisis is particularly acute in St Albans with housebuilding on the decline, and rents continually rising.