Final closing arguments heard for quarry at Hatfield site

Closing arguments were heard yesterday for the application to create a quarry on the former Hatfield Aerodrome site at Ellenbrook Fields.

Brett Aggregates is seeking permission to extract eight million tonnes of sand and gravel from the site, which sits between Ellenbrook and Smallford, over a 32-year period.

Last year, the application was scrutinised by a planning inquiry, triggered after Brett appealed against Hertfordshire County Council’s (HCC) refusal to grant permission.

The Secretary of State ordered the inquiry to reopen this week, where it was held for three days from Tuesday, April 21, to Thursday, April 23.

In the run-up to previous hearings in November 2024, HCC officials withdrew their reasons for refusal of the application and even said the appeal should be allowed “subject to the imposition of suitable conditions”.

The closing day of the inquiry heard from one local objector, a Mr Tallents, who told the inspector his firm belief there were “no significant changes” in the revised layout of the development.

He said: “The [proposed] lagoons will be a barrier… and a current tranquil and wildlife-rich area will be destroyed to make way for a processing plant.

“The proposed multi-user routes on the periphery of the site will be hemmed in by bungs [stoppers used for safety and environmental protection], exposing users to the noise and unattractiveness of the works.

“The routes within the site will likewise be in proximity and visual range to the noisy, dusty and unattractive quarry workings.”

Hatfield Aerodrome closed in 1994, and parts of its site have already been occupied by the University of Hertfordshire, housing and a business park.

But the application sits within the largely untouched area known as Ellenbrook Fields, a popular park with multiple walking trails.

The proposed improvements to the application include an extensive restoration process, with two water management lagoons in the east of the site – envisaged to become a single lake – as well as preserving and adding to the existing footpaths.

Brett Aggregates states in its proposal: “We are committed to returning Ellenbrook Fields in better condition than we found it. Our plans are designed to keep at least 85% of the park accessible throughout the project, open up new routes as restoration progresses, and create high-quality landscapes that benefit both nature and the local community long after quarrying is complete.”

But Mr Tallents said: “As has been agreed during this process, we’re in a unique position of having a country park that it is proposed will be turned into a quarry.

“This is not what normally happens. In the majority of cases, a quarry becomes a country park following its restoration phase. Fundamentally, the local population has, at the current time, unfettered access and can wander across the park at will.

“The establishment of the quarry will undoubtedly restrict this access, and as such, will have a negative impact. This park was a condition to offset the development of Salisbury village and business park.

“The community has enjoyed and benefited from this unique and wonderful space for many years. Whatever is said, the community will no longer be able to experience this amenity to the same degree for the next 40 years if the quarry goes ahead.

“There are physical and mental benefits to communities in having easy and free access to green spaces, which the park provides.

“Obviously, we understand that there are major concerns about the public access strategy for this quarry. We do not see any substantial changes proposed in this reopened inquiry to the layout of the quarry to remediate the public access issues as laid out in the Secretary of State’s letter, dated November 11, 2025.

“Indeed, by Brett’s own admission, the changes described do not result in a substantively different scheme.”

Mr Tallents went on to request that the inspector reject the appeal.

MP Andrew Lewin spoke against the plans on social media, writing on Facebook: “As the Member of Parliament, I have no formal vote on whether the quarry is approved. My position is on the record and remains unchanged. This isn’t a suitable site for additional quarrying in Hatfield.”

Mr Lewin said he opposed the decision of Conservative and later Liberal Democrat administrations of HCC to keep Ellenbrook Fields within its local mineral plan. However, the final decision will rest with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, from Mr Lewin’s own Labour party.

The inquiry is now over, and the planning inspector will submit his findings to the Secretary of State, to hand down a decision.