A DEVELOPER has offered to donate an area of Green Belt land to the parish of Sandridge in exchange for the right to build two new homes in the village.

John Hill Holdings (JHH) made the offer in a bid to appease residents who have reacted with fury at the company's decision to erect an iron fence around a four-and-a-half acre plot it owns near Highfield Road.

The company bought the land 25 years ago in the hope it would one day be granted planning permission for a small-scale housing development.

However, the plans were put on ice after a former application to St Albans District Council failed.

Since then the site has remained an area of open space, while an unofficial footpath connecting Highfield Road to Jersey Farm Woodland Park has been in regular use by villagers, ramblers and schoolchildren for some 50 years or more.

However, such was the furore surrounding the company's decision to put up the fence in May that former users of the footpath have launched a protest on the village website <sandridgevillage.com>.

It claims the footpath "was used daily as a safe route for many local children avoiding dangerous roads, dog walkers, ramblers, joggers and at this time of year blackberry pickers."

Attempts to broach a compromise between the developers and residents broke down at a packed parish council meeting earlier this month.

But, director Graham Hutchings defended the company's decision to put up the fence, insisting it was simply a case of "protecting our assets" at a time of increasing public liability.

He said the fence would remain in place as long as the land was owned by the company, but admitted that JHH had yet to re-apply to the district council for planning permission for any new homes.

"Because it was being used as a footpath, we were worried it was being seen as a right of way when it is in fact private land," he said.

"We lost some other land in another area because a person claimed squatters rights after taking a piece for their garden.

"There is also the issue of public liability.

"If we don't erect a fence and someone walks across the land, falls down a rabbit hole and breaks their leg, who will they sue? Probably us."

Mr Hutchings denied accusations that the company is attempting to hold Sandridge parish councillors to ransom with the deal and stressed that the two parties remained in close dialogue.

He said the company would willingly re-open the footpath but did not want to accept any responsibility for it.

However, he dismissed the idea of erecting a more sympathetic barrier to protect the land, and said: "If we put a nice small wooden fence up it won't stop anyone using it."

Sandridge Parish Council is now investigating whether it can take over responsibility for the footpath, if JHH agrees to fit a gate.

Parish clerk Dianne Winn said: "The next step is investigating liability insurance.

"It is then going to take some time to get the definitive right of way."

October 1, 2002 18:30