Fears over green land near Luton Airport
Environmentalists fear a group of developers and landowners have joined with Luton Airport operators to pressure for building on Green Belt land near Harpenden in Hertfordshire.
The group, calling itself the South East Luton Strategic Alliance (Selsa), owns or has option to buy land stretching from East Hyde to Breachwood Green and as far as Offley.
Environmental campaigners and anti-airport lobbyists are horrified at the implications if the group is permitted by the Government to develop the green lung between Luton and Harpenden.
Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Ladacan) spokesman John Davis said: "We don't know if they want this land for housing or to allow extensive expansion of the airport.
"All we can be sure of at the moment is that if this group is successful it will mean a massive encroachment on the rural area of North Hertfordshire.
"The airport will be able to house more airline companies and more flights, turning Luton into the transport hub the airport operators dream of.
"Massive development will require expansive road, rail and bus schemes that will increase traffic and turn the county into something similar to West London around Heathrow."
Ladacan also fears the airport may try to move its runway further south toward Harpenden.
Mr Davis said: "There is no such thing as county boundaries anymore, only regional assemblies.
"If the runway moves it will be terrible news for residents in Kinsbourn Green."
Chairman of Harpenden Green Belt Association David Rankin said:"We have the threat of huge car parks or airparks on agricultural land near Luton Airport, because as it expands, most people will drive there and there is no space to park near the airport."
A spokesman for Luton Borough Council said it was not part of the alliance, but confirmed that the developers involved are Legal and General, Bloor Homes, Crown Estates, Newcomb Estates, New Road Limited and Redway.
A spokesman for Luton Airport insisted the group is only concerned with the local infrastructure, and said: ""Regeneration of Luton and its environs is acknowledged by the Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy (MKSM) as necessitating an expansion in the built up area.
"London Luton Airport has joined with local landowners and developers to promote the Selsa concept of planned and phased development linked with enhanced and new transport infrastructure on land either side of the airport to the south and east of Luton.
"SELSA is based on the simple idea of using existing transport links and others which are planned in a combined and co-ordinated fashion."
St Albans Observer, 22nd April 2005
