Hatfield Town Council and North Mymms Parish Council have met to discuss concerns over recent planning developments.
The councils came together for the traditional beating the bounds ceremony, trekking from Millward Park in Hatfield to the Sibthorpe Arms in Welham Green.
This centuries-old ceremony involves walking the boundary of the local parish and 'beating' landmarks with a branch to maintain a shared understanding of the parish boundaries and push back any encroachment.
During their meet, councillors discussed issues surrounding green belt development, with approved plans for 120 homes and a new two form entry primary school in Hatfield's South Way among those of major concern.
"South Way is a busy road and you cannot expect parents with young children, or indeed young children walking by themselves, to make their way to the new primary school from south Hatfield by providing only one crossing," said Cllr Gareth Aicken.
"The risk is that we keep building on the green belt and everything turns into one big urban blob."
Cllr Mick Wise is keen to see green spaces maintain, continuing: "One of the main lessons from the pandemic was the importance of having access to open green spaces.
"Bunchleys Field and the nature reserve are important and much-loved community spaces for residents in both Welham Green and South Hatfield. But the various developments proposed will reduce the green space between Hatfield and Welham Green to a sliver."
Cllr Teresa Travell hopes that Hatfield Town Council and North Mymms Parish Council can come together to ensure local voices are heard by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council on planning matters.
"It’s important that officers and leaders at the borough and County level engage positively with those at the parish level," she said.
"Because we live and work in the community, we can spot issues and problems which developers and planning officers miss when looking at photos and maps on a computer screen.
"Unfortunately, we are the ones left picking up the pieces when the promised improvements to the road network, drainage system or community investment don’t happen or fail to address the problems created."
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