A legal challenge lodged by the district council against the government’s decision to grant planning permission for a massive rail freight terminal in Park Street will be heard early next year.

St Albans Council has been notified that the case will be considered in the High Court on February 3 and 4.

The council is challenging the decision to allow Helioslough to build the Strategic Rail Freight Interchange on the former Radlett Airfield on three points of law. One is with regard to the legality of the Secretary of State’s approach in taking his decision and the second relates to the misapplication of wording in the National Planning Policy Framework, a document that sets out national planning policy.

The third ground for the challenge relates to procedural irregularity and inconsistency on the interchange decision.