Hundreds of protesters united against plans for a rail freight terminal between St Albans and Radlett today.

In nine days, St Albans District Council will pass judgement on a second plan for a Strategic Rail Fright Interchange on the former Radlett aerodrome site, North Orbital Road, St Albans.

The first application was thrown out by a planning inspector in October 2008, after it was rejected by the district council in February 2007.

But applicants Helioslough has returned with a new plan that includes five warehouses with a combined area of 331,655 square metres, with parking for up to 1,602 cars and 617 lorries. A new Park Street/Frogmore relief road will be built to serve the terminal.

During a busy market day in St Albans town centre, more than 200 people gathered to voice their anger against the plans.

Banners claimed that if the interchange was approved, there would be an extra 10,000 vehicles on local roads creating 44 miles of extra traffic gridlock, as well as an additional 12 trains half a mile long using the rail network day and night.

One sign read: “No sleep for the locals.”

Leading the protest, STRiFE (Stop the Rail Freight Exchange) coordinator Cathy Balshaw urged demonstraters to “voice their opposition to this monstrous proposal”.

She said: “The consequences of this will be devastating for the whole area. The extra traffic on local roads will be horrendous. There will also be an effect on trains and passenger services. The whole proposal will be catastrophic for the whole of St Albans.”

The representatives of the three main political parties in St Albans also spoke to the crowd, which swelled as visitors to the adjacent French market came to investigate the commotion outside the Alban Arena.

Sandy Walkington, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate, said: “This is a fight we have to fight and we have to win it.

“All three main parties are as one on this. This is not party political. It's about St Albans fighting for our future. It's possible for David to win against Goliath.

“[The plan] is a knife in the underbelly of St Albans, a dagger at the heart of this city.”

Labour parliamentary candidate Roma Mills feared passengers commuting to London would suffer if freight trains began to use the same railway.

She said: “I cannot see how freight trains will be accommodated on already busy lines.”

Meanwhile, St Albans MP Anne Main urged residents to support STRiFE and their campaign against the interchange, whether they will be directly affected by it or not.

She said: “None of this is going to be turned down because they've got 300 people saying 'Not in my back yard'.

“You cannot be complacent, you cannot allow it to happen. Please support STRiFE. Everybody wants to see this off. Please don't think it's somebody else's problem. It's our problem.”

Speaking after the demonstration, Cathy said she expected the application to be judged by another planning inspector.

She said: “In the vicinity of St Albans there will be an extra 3,000 lorries per day at least, all on the local road network which we know is choc-a-bloc as it is. There will be a 1,600 workforce, most of whom would come from Luton and north London.

“It will affect everyone. It will change the whole ethos of St Albans. It's known as a historic market town. It doesn't want to be known for its rail freight terminal.”

The application will be heard by St Albans District Council on Monday, July 20. Hertsmere Borough Council will also discuss the plans at their meeting on Wednesday, July 15.