Save our Gade Valley Green Belt!

A beautiful piece of Green Belt landscape, with ancient ruins under the surface, nestled between Halsey Fields wildlife site, the River Gade chalk stream and Piccotts End Conservation Area is threatened with the development of almost 400 dwellings.

Not only will the proposed development permanently concrete over our precious green space, but will increase traffic on the Leighton Buzzard Road, through Piccotts End and apply further strain on already struggling local services. Its proximity to The Halsey Field is an existential threat to that precious wildlife site.

An Inquiry starting October 15th will be one of the first to test the recent change in policy relating to Green Belt building, and it is felt that if we cannot defend this unique and characterful part of the Green Belt, then a precedent will be set for building on many other areas of beauty, including the wider Gade Valley.

Several local community groups have joined forces with the Friends of Halsey Field and CPRE Hertfordshire, the countryside charity to oppose the development. We need to raise £30k for the Inquiry due to start on October 15th to cover legal fees, expert witnesses and specialist advice. We are working to secure as much free support as possible, but the developers will be spending a multiple of this on their lawyers and experts, so we must ensure we are well funded and defended.

Why do we think we might be able to win?

There are a lot of good reasons why this land should not be built on – archaeological interest, landscape character, adjacent wildlife site, chalk stream and conservation area. However, we know Dacorum is under huge pressure to build more homes and that developers will make millions if they succeed, so we must fight!

How long do we have to raise the money?

We are already incurring legal costs and will need to raise most of the money by early October. The Coalition members will contribute the first 10%.

Why does it cost so much?

Hiring a good junior barrister to fight our case costs significant sums, so even with a huge amount of free, pro bono expert support we will need to raise funds to pay our barrister to prepare for and represent us at the 8-day Inquiry. The more we raise, the more time they have to prepare our case.