The upcoming Three Rivers Environmental Network is taking place on Wednesday 18th March at Leavesden HIVE College Road WD5 0NXfrom 7.30-9.30pm focusing on Sustainable Transport.
We hope you are able to attend and please do spread the word with friends, colleagues, neighbours and community groups.
A talk from Tom Rankin – Transport Officer Local Beryl Bike expansion, cycle lanes, capital projects, the LCWIP, electric vehicle charge points and more.
A talk from an HCC transport Officer (to be confirmed)
Discussion time in breakout groups
Round table of upcoming events/schemes/initiatives
JRA is a politically independent umbrella organisation for all Residents’ Associations across Three Rivers including RDRA, which allows us to work together on matters of common concern.
If you are not already aware, our MP Gagan Mohindra decided to come out publicly to support the Matthew Pennycookpost Housing Minister’s decision to place a hold on the new Local Plan. Below is an extract from Hansard of the debate on New Social and Affordable Housing:
“As the House will know, local plans are the method by which we can identify affordable homes and make sure that they are built in the right place at the right time. Since I was elected back in December 2019, I have consistently asked the Liberal Democrat Three Rivers district council to get on with the local plan. However, as the Housing Minister will know, the latest version of that plan did not have sufficient evidence. He has therefore rightly called it in. Does he agree that the Lib Dems need to get on with delivering the local plan and that they should not continue to fail my residents in South West Hertfordshire?”
This is despite knowing that the JRA and local Parish Councils all objected to the delay in getting a new Local Plan in place. One could suspect that this intervention was done for narrow party-political considerations with the May Local Council Elections in mind, without any consideration of the consequences for residents of his constituency, particularly as, within hours, his intervention had appeared on his Facebook feed.
In response to this, we have prepared the attached open letter to be sent to Gagan and local media in the name of the Joint Residents Association.
Dear Gagan,
Your question in the House of Commons on 23rd February, in which you expressed support for the Housing Minister’s decision to prevent the final public consultation on the draft new Local Plan for Three Rivers, will cause direct harm to your constituents. Without a new Local Plan, the District remains exposed to the current flood of speculative planning applications on some of the District’s most valuable Green Belt land, for example the application to build 333 new houses on Catlips Farm in Chorleywood published just this week. Every week of delay increases the risk to our Green Belt.
The Minister’s intervention is undemocratic. It prevents residents from having their say on a plan that will shape their communities for decades. You took this position despite being fully aware that Residents’ Associations and Parish Councils across the District had written to the Minister opposing his action.
In your comments, you cited a supposed lack of evidence supporting the plan. This does not withstand scrutiny. In early 2025, Three Rivers Council paused the plan following the publication of the new National Planning Policy Framework to gather additional evidence, which has now been delivered. Conservative Councillors opposed that pause at the time, arguing the Council should press ahead without the extra evidence. As recently as January this year, Conservative Councillors were arguing that housing numbers could be reduced further, again without providing any evidence to support this. You cannot credibly claim there is insufficient evidence when your own party’s councillors have repeatedly argued that no more was needed.
We call on you to withdraw your support of the Minister’s action without delay and to throw your full support behind the current draft plan proceeding to consultation and examination, giving Three Rivers residents their democratic opportunity to support or oppose the draft plan. The Three Rivers Joint Residents’ Association represents thousands of residents across every part of the District. They will remember.
We are happy to meet with you at your earliest convenience to brief you fully on the Plan and why Residents’ Associations across the District are united in their support for moving the draft plan forward without further delay.
Yours sincerely, Barry Grant Chair – Three Rivers Joint Residents’ Association
The Colne Valley Regional Park is a special landscape, nature and community resource which deserves an overall protected designation, but does not currently have one. Although it is within the Metropolitan Green Belt, this still makes it vulnerable to piecemeal encroachment without adequate compensation. In the absence of this, the NPPF should say more to protect the Park in other ways.
The NPPF should say more about the cumulative impact of speculative (as opposed to planned) development, both authorised and unauthorised.
Cross-boundary cooperation should be strengthened at all levels of plan-making, not only for housing and economic growth, but also for environmental protection at a landscape scale.
10:00: Arrival & Registration. 10:15: Welcome & Opening Remarks. Why dementia awareness matters • Dignity, safety & quality of life • Overview of the day. 10:25: Understanding Dementia & Alzheimer’s. Early signs • Support options • Local resources by Carer in Herts. 10:55: Financial Support That Matters for someone living with Dementia. Practical guidance for planning ahead by Grey Matters Consultancy. 11:10: Comfort Break/Networking. 11:30: Staying Active in Later Life. Gentle movement, balance & everyday wellbeing by Georgina. 11:50: Staying Safe: Scams & Fraud Awareness. Protecting older adults and families by Chen Herts Police. 12:05: Living with Dementia – Through the Eyes of a Carer. Dementia Through Carer’s eyes by Memory Support Hertfordshire. 12:30: Community Networking & Refreshments. Information stalls • Local support • Tea & coffee. 12:55: Closing Remarks & Thank You.
Event Invitation: Rickmansworth Resident’s Association (RDRA) warmly invites all residents to attend a Dementia Information Day on Thursday, 5th March. The event will run from 10:00 to 13:00 at the William Penn Leisure Centre, Shepherds Lane, Mill End, Rickmansworth, WD3 8JN.
About the Event: This free event is designed for anyone who wishes to enhance their understanding of dementia, learn about the support available locally, and engage with experts and organisations who can offer guidance to those living with dementia, as well as their families and carers.
Partnership and Community: Hosted in partnership with the Radfield Home Care Watford & Borehamwood, the day provides a friendly and welcoming environment to learn, ask questions, and connect with the wider community.
Contact Information: For further details or to reserve your space/s, please contact Anne Littlejohn at events@rickmanswothresidents.org.
All Are Welcome: Everyone is welcome to come along and discover how you can support those affected by dementia, whether you’re a caregiver, family member or simply interested in understanding dementia.
Following a Councillor briefing at the end of last week, I am pleased to confirm that the Public Engagement for the RIBA 2 Concept Masterplan has now gone live. This will run until Monday 16 March 2026 and will include a public drop in event on Saturday 7 March between the hours of 9.30am and 2pm at the Aquadrome.
The following links to the Have Your Say Platform have all the details:
In addition to the engagement, we have also updated “The Story So Far” page on the TRDC website, to include a presentation we shared last week with Councillors, and information on the engagement. Alongside this, we have also received the completed specialist Hydrological Reports. A summary report has been added alongside the engagement information and also included on the specific “Woodland Walk” page of the website. The technical reports can be located on the Aquadrome Data Hub page. I have included all of these links below for you:
We are also seeking input from people with a disability, or those caring for people with disabilities to tell us about their experience and how we can improve the Aquadrome for you. There is a separate Accessibility Survey as part of the “Have Your Say” platform, which if you could also share that would be great: Rickmansworth Aquadrome Accessibility Survey | Have Your Say Three Rivers
The RIBA Stage 2 document will be the main focus of the Steering group meeting in March, however you may wish to familiarise yourself with it beforehand and take the opportunity to complete the survey, so your thoughts are captured.
Please do share this with your local communities and anyone you feel would be interested in completing the engagement form or having a look at the hydrological reports, which are fascinating.
Press Release from St John’s Catholic Primary School.
St John’s is now open but formal opening ceremony still to come
The All Saints Catholic Academy Trust has announced the completion of the rebuilding of St John’s Catholic Primary School in Rickmansworth, the first school in the country to be fully rebuilt following the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) within the School Rebuilding Programme.
The project was delivered by Tilbury Douglas, appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) as client.
RAAC, a lightweight form of concrete used in some public buildings between the 1950s and 1990s, was identified at St John’s during a routine structural assessments carried out as part of a planned survey of the school building commissioned by the Trust. Subsequent investigations concluded that a permanent solution was required, leading to the decision to fully rebuild the school, securing a 21 st Century school building for generations of pupils in Rickmansworth and Mill End.
Following the identification of RAAC, the Trust worked closely with the Department for Education, a range of contractors, school leaders, staff, pupils, and families to ensure education could continue safely while plans for a new building were developed and delivered. Temporary arrangements were put in place during this period, with the safety of students and in person education remaining the overriding priority throughout.
The newly completed school provides modern, high-quality learning environments designed to meet the highest standards of safety, accessibility, and sustainability. The facilities are designed to enrich pupils’ learning and wellbeing, supporting both academic achievement and wider development. These include a Wi-Fi-enabled outdoor classroom, a dedicated primary practical classroom, a multi-use games area, and a 3G sports pitch, offering outstanding opportunities for learning, play, and physical activity.
The Trust, Local Academy Council and school express their thanks to all who have supported the school community during the period and contributed to the delivery of this project. Appreciation is also extended to the Diocese of Westminster, local community, neighbouring schools, families, and partners for their continued support. The patience and encouragement shown during this time reflect the warm, welcoming, and vibrant school community that St John’s is proud to be — a place where children are nurtured, families feel connected, and the wider community plays an active role in school life.
To mark the completion of the project, the school will be holding a formal opening of their new building, and members of the local community will be invited to join pupils, staff, and partners in celebrating this important milestone. More information on the opening will be available via the school website:
“It is fantastic to see pupils settling into their new, state-of-the-art school at St John’s Catholic Primary.
“For too long, children have been learning in classrooms that are falling apart. We are breaking that cycle so our children and young people can learn in classrooms that are fit for purpose and inclusive by design.
“This is all part of our 10-year plan for a decade of national renewal, backed by a further £1 billion into the education estate, to create high-quality buildings that meet their needs and help them thrive.”
Stephen Wheatley, CEO, All Saints Catholic Academy Trust said:
“The opening of the new St Johns’ School building is a very welcome and significant milestone in the life of the school and of our Trust. We are delighted that generations of families and children in the Mill End and Rickmansworth area will benefit from the fantastic facilities and new opportunities that the new building and enhanced school site will bring. We are rightly proud of this wonderful school, that has continue to grow from strength to strength over the past few years, despite the challenges posed by the discovery of RAAC. We know that St John’s Catholic Primary School has a very bright and successful future ahead of it!”
Patricia O’Donnell, Executive Headteacher of St John’s said:
“This has been a challenging period for our school community, and I am incredibly grateful to our parents for their continued support and encouragement, to my staffing team for their extraordinary efforts and hard work to ensure our pupils did not miss out, and to the children for their positive outlook on life, even in a temporary building and no playground space for so long. Moving into a brand-new school with amazing facilities and fantastic outdoor space marks the beginning of a positive new chapter for our pupils and staff. I am excited for the future of St John’s School, there are no limits to what can be achieved.”
The government has published updated national design guidance to improve the quality of new housing and neighbourhoods in England, supporting wider planning reforms and the delivery of 1.5 million homes this Parliament. The guidance sets clear expectations for well-designed, walkable and climate-resilient neighbourhoods, with homes close to local services, adaptable layouts, strong local character, high-quality public spaces and better integration of nature. It is intended to speed up planning decisions by giving councils and developers a shared design framework, with further model design codes to follow, and is open for consultation until 10 March 2026.
Local charity quiz night in Denham in support of Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Get together a team of 6-8 and join other local community groups and clubs. Smaller groups welcome & can be placed in a team. It’s a relaxed, social evening and all proceeds go directly to charity.
£10 per person which includes entry and a welcome drink. Raffle with great prizes. Snacks available to purchase. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle). Wheelchair access & parking on site and around the area.
Good to meet you today. As I mentioned we are looking for help around the Salter’s Close area. The Town Ditch has some issues with non native invasive such as Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed. It would be good to see how we could work together.
RDRA response:
The Town ditch is currently being reviewed by TRDC in conjunction with the EA. Mike Sims gave Chris Lloyd a walking tour of it and he is taking it up further.
River Chess Association response:
I am the Chair of the River Chess Association and a partner in the Chess Smarter Water Catchment Project. Over the past year along with the Chiltern Society and Chiltern National Landscape we have established a group of volunteers (River Rangers) to do maintenance work on the Chess. It has been a success and they have been successful in improving flow through Chesham and significantly reducing flood risk while creating good wildlife habitat.
We have seen all the good work that Three Rivers have done around Scotsbridge and are keen to work with existing groups on the maintenance and improvement of channels through Rickmansworth. There is so much good that is going on in Rickmansworth with expanding water vole populations, otters and growing fish populations. It would be good to build a network of enthusiastic volunteers to grow the engagement with the river, while balancing wild life needs with flood mitigation.
I have been monitoring invertebrates on the Chess at Scotsbridge for over 16 years and it is one of our best sites for Yellow May Dun mayfly in the Colne Catchment.
