A lay-by off the A405 near Woodside Leisure Park, Garston, may be turned into a green verge after increasing reports of anti-social behaviour mostly emanating from parked vehicles.
County Councillor for Woodside and Stanborough, Tim Williams, has led the proposal to close and transform the lay-by on behalf of numerous concerned and traumatised residents.
Cllr Williams said: “Anti-social behaviour has involved refrigeration lorries parking overnight, vehicle repairs occurring throughout the night, alleged drug dealing occurring, illegal immigration, smuggling, late-night noise, shouting, litter, flytipping and using the nearby wooded verge as a toilet area with the resulting smells and flies.”
Last year Cllr Williams organised an informal consultation exercise with affected residents that highlighted the overwhelming strength of opinion.
One resident said: “Littering is horrendous in the area, and it’s absolutely foul how drivers park up and use the area as a toilet despite being adjacent to residential properties, there’s poo and tissues all over and I’ve once discovered poo smeared over a back fence.”
A distraught mother said: “I do not feel safe leaving my house past a certain time, or coming back to my home and being watched. I have on walks been whistled at and had comments shouted at me whilst with my two young boys, which is upsetting for us all.”
A formal consultation has now taken place with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC). Once the results are known it is due to go through the Traffic Regulation Order route, but cllr Williams has arranged to meet the HCC’s highways team in August to help speed the process along.
Cllr Williams said: “When there are legal processes involved it’s difficult to give a timeframe but, all being well, I’d like to think the layby will be converted to verge in 2023, and trees planted on this verge next Autumn/Winter.”
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