Railfreight

RAIL FREIGHT PROPOSAL BY HELIOSLOUGH

The Planning Inquiry finished in November, and both Eric Roberts and Peter Trevelyan gave evidence for the Society. The decision by the Secretary of State is to be announced before the 21st of June. However, once an election is called, the decision will immediately be put on hold, and will only be determined once a new administration is in place.

Back story. Helioslough have been seeking permission for a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange in the open Green Belt on the former Radlett Aerodrome site. Their first application was submitted in 2007, refused by St Albans District Council and refused again on appeal. Helioslough's second application was refused by the Council in July 2009. An appeal was lodged, which was heard at a Public Inquiry in November 2009.

The Society demonstrated its complete opposition by commissioning a special poster. Three were displayed at the City Station during the consultation period for the application to alert the many St Albans commuters and rail users to the threat to the rail services and the view of the City from the train. The poster campaign on these commercial sites cost the Society £3,000.

Read our Press Release of 29th May 2009 at foot of this page.

FORMER RAILMAN ERIC ROBERTS SAYS :-

The loss of the view of the cathedral from the train symbolises the impact the rail depot will have on the whole of St Albans - more congestion and pollution caused by this inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

I believe that the proposed freightliner trains cannot be reliably fitted into the timetables for the already busy main line. If the trains come by night, this will cause more noise and light pollution, and hamper essential track maintenance and repairs. During the day they will present pathing problems, and risk delay to the passenger services - the last thing commuters and other rail users want!

There are also loading gauge restrictions on the route which will limit the number of containers carried per train. This could make freight by train less viable, leading to more juggernaut lorries being used to service the depot. In other words, we end up with a rail freight depot in name only.

Note: the planning application already seeks parking for up to 1602 cars and 617 lorries!

The Society fully supports STRIFE, the local action group in Park Street , who campaigned so effectively against the Helioslough proposal last time round, and are doing exactly the same this time.

Their website is www.strife.biz

Press Release issued 20 May 2009 CIVIC SOCIETY TAKES TO THE RAILS

To help the campaign against the proposed railfreight terminal by Helioslough, St Albans Civic Society has commissioned a special poster. This is being displayed at three sites at the City Station.
The poster draws attention to the existing view of the Cathedral from the train. It illustrates how this will disappear behind 20 metre tall sheds if the development is allowed to proceed. This is emblematic of the adverse impact the railfreight depot will have on the Cathedral City's environment, and the lives of residents.

The aim of the campaign is to encourage the thousands commuters and other travellers who use the station to engage in the planning process, and to object to the application.

The Society believes that rail travellers need not only to consider the effect on the city where they live, but also the effect on their passenger train service. Frequent additional freight train movements have the potential to disrupt an already busy line, with a complicated timetable. The consequence could be more train delays.

Chairman Peter Trevelyan says “This is a first for the Society. It is a direct attempt to communicate with the thousands of commuters and people who use and visit the station. Residents have a lot to lose if the scheme goes ahead no matter where they live in or around St Albans”.

The Council is expected to register the application within the next few days. Details on what to do and how to get more information can be obtained from the Society's website: www.stalbanscivicsociety.com