THOUSANDS of residents have aired their views on the way forward for housing and businesses in the district. As part of the Shaping Our Community (SOC) planning consultation run by St Albans District Council (SADC), residents have attended a touring exhib

THOUSANDS of residents have aired their views on the way forward for housing and businesses in the district.

As part of the Shaping Our Community (SOC) planning consultation run by St Albans District Council (SADC), residents have attended a touring exhibition, completed online surveys and picked up information from libraries and other information points.

Crucial issues affecting the district including protecting the Green Belt while balancing the need to provide new housing, jobs and leisure opportunities, formed part of the three-month consultation.

Cllr Chris Brazier, portfolio holder for planning and conservation at SADC, said: "The consultation was broad and asked residents to give their views on where they think housing development, schools, healthcare provision, transport services and retailing should be located in the future."

The consultation will feed into work to produce the Local Development Framework (LDF) - a set of planning documents which dictates the direction of planning policy until 2026.

Following the feedback, the Council will revise the consultation document and produce the final Core Strategy for the LDF. The aim is to submit the document formally to the Government in July 2010 and, to adopt it, following approval, in June 2011.

More information about the LDFis available at http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/ planning/policy/local-development-framework.aspx.

Blob/Cllr Brazier was recently invited to attend a meeting of The City Club to talk about the LDF and the Liberal Democrats' planning policy. The City Club was set up by Debenhams Ottaway Solicitors and is a networking group for individuals involved in property development in and around St Albans.

The Shaping Our Community public consultation period has re-ignited the debate over Green Belt development and Cllr Brazier said protecting the Green Belt was a major concern.

He went on: "None of us wants development on Green Belt land but we need investment or we live in a city with no regeneration and no money to preserve our heritage. In order to protect the buildings and keep our city alive, investment is needed and this comes from managed development on agreed sites."

He added that although the Council opposed the rail freight terminal plan for Park Street, it did believe that Radlett Airfield could be a suitable site on which to build around 300 houses.