Aquadrome a ‘no dig’ zone
Message received Jan 3, 2024 – via Email
Is the Association aware of the council’s decision to make the Aquadrome a ‘no dig’ zone, due to apparent (and, if justified, very belated) concerns about asbestos in the ground?This has already forced the cancellation of this year’s Rickmansworth Festival, with a significant impact on the finances of the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust. It would also seem to imply severe restrictions on other uses of the Aquadrome.The councillors I’ve spoken with were not aware of the council’s decision until it had already been made public, which makes it sound like it was taken without proper consultation or consideration.Does the RDRA have any views on this? And, if so, will we be asking the council to review/explain their decision, in the light of its emerging consequences.
RDRA response:
Many thanks for your email of 3rd Jan. My apologies for the delayed response. As you can imagine this came as a shock to all of us and the last thing to do would be to give a ‘knee jerk reaction’. Of course we are all bitterly disappointed that this much cherished Ricky community event is now not happening. Now we have more information at hand, we are able to formulate a view and response. There’s nothing at this stage that anyone can do to save this year’s festival. TRDC and ALL our Councillors know our feelings. It’s an unmitigated disaster and a massive own goal in PR terms. There’s a meeting on the 31st at the RWT, Batchworth Lock which will be on Zoom. (Details from RWT to follow.) We will hopefully find out what happens next and if we are able to save the festival from 2025 onwards.