St Albans Local Information
Practical local information for St Albans: bin collection days, parking, council tax bands and planning, each one linked back to the official source.
Top story
St Albans Roadworks This Week: A414 Shut to 9 Oct and M1 J8
A414 eastbound to Park Street shut 8pm to 6am nightly to Friday 9 October, diverted through St Albans. M1 northbound J6 to J8 closes nights to 20 October.
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Local Info
St Albans planning: Local Plan adopted, 15,045 homes
St Albans adopted its new Local Plan on 9 September, replacing the 1994 plan: 15,045 homes by 2041 on twelve strategic sites. Plus live applications.
Bins
St Albans Bin Collection Days: Bins Out by 5am, Round 1 or 2
Containers must be at the boundary by 5am, and crews work to 6pm. Find whether you are round 1 or round 2, plus garden waste at £69 and the Christmas backlog.
Parking
Parking in St Albans: the bays that only charge for 2 hours
Every council car park tariff for St Albans and Harpenden, the bays enforced only 10am to noon, and the car park that gives you three hours free on a weekday.
Council tax
St Albans council tax bands 2026/27: all 10 parish rates
Band D runs from £2,360.52 in St Michael to £2,498.45 in Colney Heath. Full A to H charges for all ten parishes, what rose, and how to challenge a band.
Local Info
St Albans trains to London: 21 minutes to St Pancras
The fastest St Albans train reaches St Pancras in 21 minutes and contactless costs £13.50. Season ticket prices, Harpenden fares and the Abbey Line.
Local Info
St Albans house prices: £605,000, dearest in Herts
The middle St Albans home sold for £605,000 in the year to June, more than any other Hertfordshire district. Figures by ward, postcode, property type and street.
Local Info
Things to do in St Albans: free museum, £3 Roman theatre
A free museum in the old Town Hall, a Roman theatre for £3 and a 175-acre park with five Green Flags between them. Prices and opening times checked this week.
Bins
St Albans Christmas bin collections 2026: up to 4 days late
St Albans collections run up to four days behind over Christmas 2026 and do not return to normal until Monday 18 January 2027. Last year's revised dates, day by day.
Recycling
St Albans tip opening times: shut Tue and Wed, 10 to 5.30
St Albans recycling centre on Ronsons Way opens 10am to 5.30pm and shuts every Tuesday and Wednesday. Harpenden shuts Thursday and Friday. ePass and Christmas.
Schools
St Albans school term dates 2026/27: half term 26 to 30 Oct
Hertfordshire schools break for half term on 26 to 30 October 2026 and for Christmas from 21 December. Every 2026/27 holiday plus each big school's INSET days.
Schools
St Albans October half term 2026: dates and what's on
Hertfordshire schools break from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, independents from 18 October. Willows Pumpkin Festival prices, Verulamium Museum and more.
Trains
St Albans Christmas trains 2026: no service 25 Dec, works TBC
No trains from St Albans City on Christmas Day and most operators stop on Boxing Day. The 2026/27 works list is not out yet; what closed last time, and parking.