Villagers organise to oppose unwanted planning developments in Bovingdon - Hertfordshire

From the Watford Observer

Villagers have united to fight unwanted planning developments in Bovingdon.

Prospals to build a Gypsy caravan site, plans to demolish a hotel, and the "supercar driving experiences" at Bovingdon Airfield have prompted the Bovingdon Action Group to launch a new website in an attempt to "save Bovingdon Green Belt".

An application was submitted in July for change of use of the Green Belt site adjacent to the Bobsleigh Hotel to be used as a residential caravan site for eight Gypsy families, each with up to two caravans.

The action group said on the website: "We recognise that Gypsies need residential pitches but the Green Belt is not an acceptable option or a solution."

Bovingdon Action Group is a collection of volunteers from the local community who aim to make sure the views of residents are heard by Dacorum Borough Council.

Similarly, the organisation has raised concerns about the MacDonald Hotel Group seeking permission to demolish the existing two-storey 47 bedroom hotel and replace it with a five-storey 100 plus bedroom hotel.

The proposal, if approved, will more than double the size of the existing hotel, relocating two of the existing mobile homes onto Green Belt land in the process.

A retrospective application, submitted in February, for various companies to offer "driving experiences" at Bovingdon Airfield is the final concern raised by the new website. The application intends to cover the motor sport activities that have been taking place on the airfield for many months.

The website has been launched in an attempt to encourage more villagers to voice their opinions about the applications and support the move to save Bovingdon Green Belt.