Not long after Intermodality first established in 2002, we were asked by client Helios Properties (now Verdion) to give some thought to a proposed new rail-linked distribution park alongside the M25 and the Midland Main Line. Little did we know at the time that this would become our longest-lasting project, as well as highlight the challenges of major infrastructure development in the UK.
The site was previously home to Radlett Aerodrome, which opened in 1930 as a grass aerodrome for Handley Page civil aircraft. The site was then used for production of watime Hampden and Halifax bombers, and the post-war Hastings and Hermes airliners and, most famously, the Victor bomber. Yet by the 1st June 1970 Handley Page had ceased to exist. The site was subsequently redeveloped with the hangars converted for business use, the airfield area for sand and gravel extraction. The M25 started construction in 1973 and the first section opened 3 years later.
The Radlett site had already been flagged by Railtrack as a possible development opportunity for a rail freight interchange, and in due course by the then Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) in its 2001 Freight Strategy, as one of 3 to 4 major new freight interchange sites which would be needed around London to support growth.
2006: Planning Application #1
We started producing initial reports and drawings in 2003, working alongside an expanding team towards submission of a planning application in 2006 by Helioslough (then a joint venture between Helios and Slough Estates, the latter now known as SEGRO which has retained the Helioslough company), for a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) with 3.3 million sq ft of rail-served warehousing and an intermodal terminal. The scheme was refused planning consent by the local planning authority.
2007-8: Planning Appeal #1
Helioslough appealed the decision, with a Public Inquiry held in 2007, the Appeal being dismissed by the Secretary of State in 2008 following the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate – in part on the basis of not being satisfied that Helioslough had demonstrated that no other sites would come forward to meet the need for further SRFIs to serve London and the South East.
2008-9: Planning Application #2
An updated scheme was resubmitted in 2009. The scheme was again refused planning consent by the local planning authority.
2009: Planning Appeal #2
Helioslough appealed the decision, with a Public Inquiry held in 2009, the Appeal being rejected by the Secretary of State in 2010 – who dismissed the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate that the Appeal should be allowed and granted consent, the Secretary of State again not being
not satisfied with the appraisal of alternative sites.
2010-2011: Judicial Review #1
Helioslough then proceeded with a request for a Judicial Review of the Secretary of State’s decision, which was quashed in 2011.
2011-2012: Secretary of State “Minded to Grant” Consent
The following year, with the scheme being largely unchanged from the 2009 proposals, the same Secretary of State determined that he was minded to grant consent, subject to agreement of planning conditions.
2014: Consent Granted
In July 2014 the Secretary of State finally granted consent with outline planning permission, allowing the development to proceed. But….
2015: Judicial Review #2
In 2015 it was the turn of the local authority to apply for a Judicial Review, challenging the 2014 granting of consent by the Secretary of State. Fortunately the High Court dismissed the application. But…
2015-2018: Garden Village Proposals
Despite the Secretary of State’s 2014 decision remaining in place, the local planning authority then decided that, having fought for the best part of a decade against the principle of development on the Green Belt former aerodrome site, should instead be developed for housing, as a Garden Village. The St Albans City & District Local Plan 2020-2036 Publication Draft 2018 included the Garden Village scheme (with 6,000 houses) in the proposed list of site allocations. This was carried through into the March 2019 submission of the Local Plan.
A Local Plan Inquiry was held by the Planning Inspectorate in 2020, the joint Inspectors writing to the Council in January of that year expressing serious concerns in terms of legal compliance and soundness of the draft Local Plan. Consequently, the Inspectors wrote again in April 2020, citing six main areas of concern, the key issue being the Council’s failure to engage constructively and actively with the neighbouring local authorities on the Radlett SRFI proposal. The Inspectors further noted that it was clear that the Council had no intention of allocating the Radlett site for a SRFI in the Plan and that, in allocating the site for housing to help meet its housing need, it knew that would prevent the creation of the regionally and nationally important SRFI. The Garden Village proposals were not carried forward in the Local Plan, clearing the way for SEGRO to continue progressing the scheme. But…
2018-2023: Site Acquisition
SEGRO continued to progress discussions with the landowners, including Hertfordshire County Council, to assemble the 1,000 acre site needed for the scheme (800 acres of landscaping and country park, and 200 acres for the SRFI). Following negotiations, the County Council sold its interest to SEGRO in June 2023, clearing the way for SEGRO to continue progressing the scheme. But…
2023-2024: Judicial Review #3
In September 2023 a Community Interest Company applied for a Judicial Review of the County Council’s decision to sell the land to SEGRO, arguing that the sale was unlawful. In June 2024 the Court refused permission to apply for the Judicial Review, upholding the County Council and SEGRO’s arguments. The Court also found that the claim had not been brought promptly as required.
2024: The SRFI finally emerges
Having worked for so long to deal with the various hurdles and challenges, it has been heartening to see tangible progress now being made on site. In October 2024, The New Civil Engineer published an online article explaining the progress now being made to construct the first major element of the rail layout which we created two decades earlier, namely the new underpass structure installed over Christmas 2024 (link here). The site is expected to finally become operational in 2028, some 26 years after conception, joining the small network of operational SRFI, each of which has generated rail freight traffic. Sadly, Radlett remains the only one of the original 3-4 M25 SRFI envisaged by public policy. At least, for now….
Further information on the development can be found here.
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