Members of an action group opposed to the development of Green Belt land in west Hemel Hempstead have held their first meeting of the year and say they are still fighting.
The West Hemel Action Group says it will now actively plan to challenge any planning applications for the LA3 plot between Chaulden and Pouchen End Lane, which under Dacorum Borough Council’s core strategy is expected to house up to 900 new homes.
Group secretary Julie James explained that the recent bad weather – the cause of several flooding instances across Dacorum – led to rainwater collecting in one of the plot’s fields earmarked for up to 40 new homes, and this could provide a strategy with which the group could counter building proposals.
She said: “I wouldn’t want to be living there when it rains, and this was before we had the really heavy rain. In Pouchen End the water was like a river and the Winkwell area was really flooded. I can’t even imagine how it will be once all those fields have been concreted over, and I know this is a big issue nationwide.”
For details on the group’s next meetings, email whag1000@gmail.com.