Keep Chiswell Green

08/09/2025

Get your tickets now for this hilarious comedy....

Get your tickets for this comedy now!

15/08/2025

Please object to the planned Solar development in Potters Crouch - APPLICATION REFERENCE : 5/2025/1132

The electricity company Exagen is proposing to install solar panels on every one of the fields owned by CP Holdings Ltd surrounding Potters Crouch, which is a Designated Conservation Area. It would in effect make Potters Crouch an island surrounded by a sea of solar panels.

Full details are available on the St Albans City & District Council Planning Portal under reference 5/2025/1132.

The Character Statement for the Conservation Area published by the Council states “Much of the character of the Potters Crouch conservation area comes from its rural situation and views across open fields and countryside”....All of this would be destroyed.

The local lanes are regularly used by walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders, many of whom come from in and around Chiswell Green. The construction of the solar panels would require nearly 6,000 repeat 6,000 movements of heavy goods vehicles with weights up to 44 tons along Bedmond Lane and across all the other lanes. The lanes and the ancient hedgerows would be wrecked.

Of greater concern is the obvious danger to these walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders with heavy vehicles passing on what are single width carriageways. It is almost inevitable there would be serious accidents or even worse, unless the lanes were closed completely for the 6 month period of construction.

The fields currently are highly productive, despite the claims to the contrary by the developers. Hundreds of tons of grain currently produced would have to be replaced by imports.

These beautiful fields full of birds and other wildlife would be destroyed. The solar panels in all probability will come from abroad. So much for the claims that the project would help the environment!

Plaistow’s Airfield is an important asset and sporting venue for the local community and wider. Apart from the flying activities, it supports a wide range of charitable initiatives including youth and disabled organisations. Were the project to go ahead, it would have serious safety implications for the airfield. Should an aircraft currently operating from the airfield have an engine problem after takeoff or on approach to land, with fields covered in solar panels there would be nowhere safe to land, consequently risking serious injury or worse.

There are large tracts of derelict land in the local area that could alternatively be used for a solar panel project. The only grounds for using valuable agricultural land rather than derelict land is that, were the project to be approved, it would result in vast profits for the developers.

The developers claim that at the end of the project the land would revert to agricultural use. The reality is that it would almost inevitably be used for housing.

Please voice your opposition as soon as possible by submitting a response on the Planning Portal referred to above, or use our objection generator to create an email objection.
https://keepchiswellgreen.org/objections/

If the "Open in email app" button doesn't work for you, please just copy the generated email body, update to your requirements, and send your email to:
planningcomments@stalbans.gov.uk

Please ensure that you provide your name and address in the email along with your objection.

Here is a link to the application on the SADC website if you want to enter your objection there instead:
https://planningapplications.stalbans.gov.uk/planning/search-applications?civica.query.FullTextSearch=5%2F2025%2F1132 ?RefType=PBDC&KeyNo=133980

Thank you for continuing to help to Keep Chiswell Green.
We will contact you again soon about the application at the Noke.

04/08/2025

https://keepchiswellgreen.org/shop

Our Art Exhibition now has an online shop - please have a browse if you can't make it to Burton's in the next 3 days!

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Come along to our Art Exhibition!

Fuelled by a long history of friendships on numerous themed artistic exhibitions, the members of Eyelight Photography and Local Artists are delighted to bring you their diverse and optimistic vision of the power of nature.

Inspiration is drawn from marine biologist and author of Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, who said:
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."

We are thrilled to present our collective contemplations on the power of immersion in the natural world, whether that's a walk in our parks, a spot of forest bathing in the local woods or a trip to see a grand vista, nature is ready to inspire and sustain us.

Proceeds will go to Keep Chiswell Green, to protect the habitat for wildlife, flora and fauna.

28/07/2025

https://keepchiswellgreen.org/art-exhibition/

Come along to our Art Exhibition!

Fuelled by a long history of friendships on numerous themed artistic exhibitions, the members of Eyelight Photography and Local Artists are delighted to bring you their diverse and optimistic vision of the power of nature.

Inspiration is drawn from marine biologist and author of Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, who said:
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."

We are thrilled to present our collective contemplations on the power of immersion in the natural world, whether that's a walk in our parks, a spot of forest bathing in the local woods or a trip to see a grand vista, nature is ready to inspire and sustain us.

Proceeds will go to Keep Chiswell Green, to protect the habitat for wildlife, flora and fauna.

https://www.eyelight.photography/

Art Exhibition Mon 4 Aug - Thurs 7 Aug 8.30am - 5.30pm Burston Garden Centre Just off M25 junction 21A, St Albans, AL2 2DS

02/07/2025

The hearing date, Friday 11th July, for our case to be heard in the Court of Appeal is fast approaching and our case has been "selected for live-streaming" as a "𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐄".

Find out more....
https://keepchiswellgreen.org/high-profile-and-legally-significant-fb

Help pay our legal fees:
https://keepchiswellgreen.org/donate/

9 days to go!

03/06/2025

Garden Tools and Plants, and Bake Sale!
Saturday 7th June, 9am - 2pm
144 Watford Road

We have loads of plants for sale, and a variety of garden tools.

We’ve also got some fantastic treats to sell, from cakes to tray bakes and cookies, including some gluten free … and they all sound incredibly tempting.

Come along and bag yourself a bargain!

https://KeepChiswellGreen.org/gardeing-sale

02/06/2025

"Game, Set, Match" Luxury Hamper raffle.
Get your tickets now - you've got to be in it to win it!
Tickets just £5

LUXURY Tennis themed Hamper! Ticket price just £5! Full of lovely goodies!

31/05/2025

Open Gardens Event!
TOMORROW - 1st June

The weather is perfect, why not come and explore the gardens of Chiswell Green?!

Get your tickets now!

LAST CALL! Weather's great - Get your tickets now!

09/05/2025

We've won an award!

Find out more here:

23/04/2025

Those of you with long memories may remember back in 2018 that the owners of St Albans FC floated the idea of moving their stadium to a site on The A405, between Noke Lane and The M25. This was on a road that, even back then, was solid with traffic for much of the day. They called it a "Community Village" but it was basically a trojan horse in order to build a massive housing estate of 900 flats and other facilities on the site - the real object of the exercise, and the real earner for the owners and developers. Thankfully, it wasn't in the local plan at that time, so it was dropped. A copy of the plan from back then is attached.

Since then, planning permission has been granted for well over 1000 new houses in the immediate area, including 190 right opposite the site, with more to come, AND this road will be the main access route for a good proportion of the 3500 HGVs and thousands of vans and cars that will be accessing the Freight Terminal every day, so it is going to get very much busier than it is now.

Despite all of that, it looks like they're going to try again, and they are making a presentation to the Chiswell Green Residents Association AGM, which is at The URC on 22nd May at 7:30pm. I've no idea if the new plan will include the 900 flats and/or the other facilities, but I'm guessing it will, and one can only imagine the traffic chaos in the area if this were to go ahead, especially on match days. It isn't in the local plan that is currently going through the examination process, which may be why they're submitting it now, in order to get it through before the plan comes into force.

02/04/2025

Get your tickets for our Luxury Cream Tea & Champagne Hamper Raffle, just £5 per ticket!

https://keepchiswellgreen.org/creamtea-hamper-raffle

27/03/2025

Easter 'Egg' Hunt!
Saturday 5th April
Start between 10.30am and 2:30pm
Meet at Cherry Hill Play Area

The weather's perfect for a walk around our public rights of way, so come along with the kids and get out in our beautiful countryside!

We at Keep Chiswell Green would like to invite you to attend an Easter themed ‘discovery walk’ through some of Chiswell Green’s most picturesque footpaths and woodlands.

So please sign up here https://shorturl.at/49l45 , or simply turn up at the play area to buy a ticket and get your map and activity pack.