A majority of the Conservative and Labour Councillors have voted to reject a motion brought by Liberal Democrats this evening.

The defeated motion has already lead to a further delay in determining the Local Plan that keeps control of future development in North Hertfordshire and brings over 4500 affordable homes for present and future generations.

The local plan also proposes to increase the green belt by nearly 10% and ensures the current green belt is fit for purpose.

Despite legal advice from a specialist QC that the motion was too vague and was likely to lead to control over development being taken away from the Council the Liberal Democrat group went ahead and voted against a recommendation that would have made it clear which sites they proposed to retain or change.

Conservative Group Leader Cllr. David Levett said “I’m extremely pleased that Council made the sensible decision to allow the hearings in public to go ahead. It gives all those thousands of members of the public who have already made representations over the last 3 years on specific sites to the inspector the chance to be heard in full and not to be overturned by just 10 Liberal Democrat Councillors many of whom admitted they didn’t know anything about the process to date.”