HelioSlough - Industrial Development - St Albans, Plans Railfreight Interchange at Former Aerodrome

Date: 31 Jul 2006

HelioSlough has submitted an outline planning application for its proposed 3.5 million sq ft (325,161 sq m) strategic railfreight interchange at the former Radlett Aerodrome site in St Albans, Hertfordshire

The scheme will also include a 614-acre (249-hectare) country park, woodland and managed countryside area.

Mike Hughes, director of HelioSlough, comments: "This submission follows two and a half years solid work by our development team, together with extensive public consultation."

The proposed railfreight interchange, with rail connected warehousing and intermodal facilities, will comprise five units ranging from 480,000 to 1.2m sq ft (44,593 to 111,484 sq m) to be built using sustainable and environmental construction practices. Each unit will have its own railway siding for goods to be delivered directly from the train and a container-handling interchange providing rail access to the deep-sea container ports and mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel.

The development will have the capacity to handle 12 trains entering and exiting the site every day. There will be 1,665 car parking spaces for employees and 617 lorry parking spaces.

Road access to the development will be from a new signalised roundabout on the A414, a strategic road suitable for commercial traffic. A relief road for Park Street, St Albans, will also be created to divert the existing HGV routes and through traffic. It will extend from south of the M25, by a modified bridge over the motorway, to join the new junction from the A414.

Mike Hughes adds: "The role of railfreight distribution is to meet the growing needs and demands of all of us as consumers without adding to the congestion on our roads. Our proposals address both a regional and national transportation need and fills the gap in current rail freight interchange provision for the M25 north-west sector, while providing around 3,000 jobs and a new public open space for everyone to enjoy."

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