WITH St Albans District Council due to vote on the controversial railfreight terminal plan next week, three key local authorities have slammed the proposal.

Hertfordshire County Council, Hertsmere Borough Council and the East of England Regional Assembly (Eera) have all said the scheme should not go ahead.

Campaigners against the goods yard proposed on Green Belt land between Park Street and London Colney say the criticisms will stop it the plan its tracks.

Hertsmere Borough Council, responsible for towns near the site such as Radlett and Shenley, voted earlier this month to write to St Albans District Council condeming the plan.

The council says the proposal would result in more traffic, noise, dust and light pollution.

It points out that goods trains from the north will not be able to enter the terminal directly, but would need to reverse in Cricklewood, travelling through Radlett twice.

Similar concerns were expressed by Hertfordshire County Council last Monday.

Cathy Bolshaw of Strife, the pressure group fighting the proposals, said: "In the judgement of both Hertsmere and the county council, Helioslough have failed to make the very special case required to obtain planning consent for a development of this nature in Metropolitan Green Belt."

Meanwhile, Kevin Fitzgerald of the Campaign to Protect Rural England said Eera's comments on the plans killed "the project stone dead".

He said: "Eera are the strategic planning authority and without their support for the proposal, we do not see how the district council or the Government could approve the application."

However, Helioslough spokesman Simon Hoare insisted the consortium would press ahead with its plans, fighting them through a public inquiry if necessary.

He said: "What nobody says is that a railfreight terminal is a bad idea and there isn't a demand for it. Everybody is convinced of the environmental and economic benefits. We are absolutely convinced this is the best site for this sort of development."

The district council is due to consider the application on Wednesday, November 2.