If you have any spare roses, now is the time to replant them and what better place to donate them than to the Rose Garden in Rickmansworth, located opposite the Council offices, next to the Bowling Club and in front of the Community Garden.
Please contact Sustainable Three Rivers: hello@sustainablethreerivers.org.
The Grand Union Canal will be closed for 5 weeks from 2nd February.
Click here to read further information.
This document outlines the Joint Residents Association’s analysis of National Planning Policy Framework from December 2023:
To read, please click here.
Three Rivers District Council has a list of welcoming spaces on its web pages at https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/services/community-and-living/cost-living-support#Welcoming%20spaces
There are places listed across the district each day where you can go for a cuppa, chat or just sit quietly in the warm to escape from the cold weather for a while.
You could ask at your local library for a list of the welcoming spaces near you or ring the Council on 01923 776611.
If you can, please find the time to check on any elderly or vulnerable friends and neighbours to see if they’re OK.
If you are concerned about someone you can ask Hertfordshire Fire Service to carry out a free Safe and Well visit. Further details are on their website here or ring 0300 123 4046.
Representatives from the Rickmansworth Festival Team attended a meeting hosted by Three Rivers District Council just before Christmas regarding the recent implementation of an Asbestos Management Plan for the Aquadrome.
The plan has designated the Aquadrome as a no dig zone and so nothing can penetrate the ground on the site. This includes digging, raking, staking or any activity which could erode or expose anything below the ground surface. It would preclude the use of stakes for fixing marquees or gazebos, and any vehicle movements on the grassed areas of the site would also be a concern. Any hirer of the ground would also need to pay for appropriate monitoring before and after the event at a cost of between £5000 and £8000 per day for two days of monitoring (a total of £10 – £16k).
Representatives from the Rickmansworth Festival Team attended a meeting hosted by Three Rivers District Council just before Christmas regarding the recent implementation of an Asbestos Management Plan for the Aquadrome.
Whilst it is possible to fix structures in place with weights or large water barrels this is really suited for working on a hard site when lifting vehicles can be used and access is not compromised by soft ground. Our Festival site manager has confirmed that whilst anything is possible the costs and extra labour required would go up significantly if we considered this possible to do on the site. There may also be other requirements such as ensuring all contractors were trained.
Therefore I am afraid Rickmansworth Waterways Trust has had no choice but to make the difficult decision to cancel the event for 2024 and no Festival will be possible with these requirements in place.
TRDC stated that they were happy for the Festival to go ahead as long as the conditions of the management plan could be met. However the reality is that the management plan makes it impossible for a non commercial, volunteer led Festival to proceed with an event that uses the Aquadrome.
This is a really sad day for our community and I feel for all the other charities, community organisations and small businesses that have lost an opportunity to promote themselves. Thank you for all your help over many years since our very first event in 1993 and for contributing towards a great event. It will be sadly missed.
David Montague
Many congratulations to the 1st and 2nd prize winners of our first RDRA 100+ Club monthly draw, pictured below being presented their winnings by RDRA Chairman, Ash Pattni. Proceeds from this draw will go to signage for the Community Garden as well as RDRA administration costs. These photos are taken in the Community Garden, located behind the Rose Garden, opposite the TRDC Council offices in Rickmansworth and very near the Bowling Club.
3rd prize winner – £25: Wishes to remain anonymous and donated the prize money back into the RDRA good causes fund.
Next prize draw: Friday 26th January
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.