A proposed housing development on a scale “not seen in the past ten years” in Abbots Langley was discussed at a public meeting.

Members of Three Rivers District Council’s development control committee voiced their opinions on plans to build more than 400 homes and a hotel on Green Belt land.

The proposed Leavesden Park development, a 45-hectare site in Aerodrome Way, will bring an estimated 1,063 new residents to the area.

MEPC, the developer, has proposed a contribution of about £500,000 to help expand the roads and public transport service for the area.

However, as previously reported in the Watford Observer, Watford Borough Council argue that the development is inappropriate for Green Belt land, and claim that it will have more of an impact on Watford than Three Rivers.

As the application is so large, members of the development control committee only discussed the plan rather than making a decision to refuse or approve it.

Liberal Democrat ward councillor for Leavesden, Stephen Giles-Medhurst, described the development as on a scale “not seen in the past ten years”.

He also praised the work done by site owner MEPC, which has carried out a number of public consultations and surgeries with residents.

Councillor Giles-Medhurst said: “The plan does a lot to preserve the character of the area and retain the open space, it is absolutely essential that this does not become a hotch-potch development.

“There have been 19 complaints from residents, mostly focussing on the traffic impact, specifically the congestion and traffic into Watford.

“It is already very congested there and I am not sure whether the £75,000 will be enough to address this.

“I also hope we will not repeat past mistakes of putting all the affordable housing in one place, such as in the Huntonbury Village, where there is a real us and them attitude.”

Out of the 425 homes, 70 percent will be privately owned and the remaining 30 percent, or 127 houses, will be affordable or social housing.

Liberal Democrat ward councillor for Croxley Green South, Phil Brading, argued: “Thirty percent should not be a maximum, it should be a minimum considering the demand for social housing.”

The aerodrome was previously owned by the Ministry of Defence, which used the site to produce Mosquito and Halifax aircraft.

Rolls Royce also built helicopter engines there until 1993, and at its peak the site employed 3,000 people.

For just over a year the site operated as the base for Leavesden Flying Club, before the site was purchased for use as a film studio, firstly by Third Millenium Group in 1995, and then by current owners MEPC in 1999.

Warner Bros. has leased the site since 2000 and produced films there, most notably the Harry Potter series.

The outline planning application will be discussed again at the next meeting of Three Rivers District Council development control committee.