Let’s support the stall holders and businesses in Rickmansworth High Street next weekend. Find some lovely and unusual Christmas presents. Come and chat with us at our RDRA stall.
An existential threat to the very concept of the Metropolitan Green Belt appears to be emerging as land owners, developers and local authorities alike have this year begun to use the NPPF December 2024 ‘grey belt’ definition to reclassify Green Belt sites for development. Far from the idea presented by government ministers of ‘grey belt’ as small sites, of low-quality and previously developed, many are extensive, agricultural land and/or highly biodiverse.
Can you help?
The London Green Belt Council is seeking photographs (using a mobile is fine) plus brief details of land now redesignated by LAs or argued by developers to be ‘grey belt’.
LOCATION (town/area postcode if known)
GREY BELT PROPOSAL REFERENCE (planning application/Local Plan)
And if details available:
Number of houses, energy infrastructure, solar farms etc, whether mixed development and size of the site you have photographed.
Any special features of the site, natural features, footpaths.
If you do not know all the details, the Location and Reference will suffice.
We hope to create a record of how the new NPPF affects our valuable countryside and present it to government and the media in February 2026.
Please send details plus photos as a separate attachment (jpg or similar) by email to info@londongreenbeltcouncil.org.uk by Friday 16 January 2026.
Callum grew up in a house filled with music, his ears bombarded with everything from Dylan to AC/DC, Steve Earle to Bolan, even Django to Deano but somehow, all those eclectic sounds strangely made sense. He picked up a guitar at 10 and was soon busking on the streets of Norwich, honing his craft and “earning a few quid on a good day”.
Fast forward a few years, and Callum went on to study at Access to Music before heading south at 18 to enrol on (and pass with Merit) a BA (hons) in Contemporary Music course at the renowned ACM in Guildford.
That’s where things really took off. He was playing in all kinds of bands and duos, bouncing between genres and finding his voice not just as a musician and band member, but as a solo artist too.
Now, Callum’s got hundreds of gigs under his belt and he’s had music played on numerous radio stations, including four different songs on BBC Introducing. He’s played at dozens of festivals including Latitude, Weyfest, Selbourne, Chesham Fringe, Broadstairs Folk Week, and Rickmansworth Folk Festival. Oh, and he even warmed up the crowd for Ward Thomas! (In fact if there’s a half decent sound system and a tent and some bunting, Callum probably won’t be far away).
Last year saw the release of a “double” single, and the positive response it generated gave him the push to record his first solo album in his home studio. (which is actually a tiny single bedroom equipped with second hand gear he’s accumulated since the covid lock down). It has taken 11 months of hard work, late nights (and gallons of coffee) to record and produce with Callum singing all lead and backing vocals and playing every instrument you hear. There are stripped back tracks featuring one guitar and one vocal through to tracks featuring a whole band set up. Eventually he emerged blinking back into the daylight…….. The result is The Album ….“Shadows in an Empty Room”.
There are 11 original tracks loosely orbiting the Americana/contemporary folk galaxy, plus one wild card: a cover song dedicated to his musical heroes, Feeder.
Next year Callum aims to spend more time out on the road performing and searching out new opportunities but he certainly intends to be back in the studio recording new material.
SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM is available on CD from Callum via Facebook / Instagram @Callummusic1 and is also available on most streaming platforms from December 5th.
Let’s support stall holders and businesses in Rickmansworth High Street this Sunday. There will be: Artisan Food • Wreath Making • Gifts • Advent Calendars.
The RDRA will also be there so come and visit our stall to chat about local issues!
PCSO Beeson from the Rickmansworth Neighbourhood Policing Team will be also be around on Sunday and keen to hear about any concerns you have regarding Anti-Social Behaviour, crime or any other issues affecting you or our local community.
Please join us as we march at 2pm from Our Lady’s Church (at the bottom of Scotsbridge Hill) to St Mary’s Church in Rickmansworth to lay a wreath & remember all those who have died in war.
If you are able, please come along to the next Local Area Forum council meeting to hear about the Aquadrome, in particular Woodland Path and Ebury Play area and ask questions or voice your concerns. This meeting will be held in Penn Chamber, Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth WD3 1RL (location details).
The report below is about the Aquadrome, from the Climate Change and Leisure Committee, held on 15th October 2025.
The Environment Agency has finally released the flood modelling on 2nd October which had delayed the completion of the Hydrological survey, which was preventing the Woodland Path from re-opening. This report says that the Hydrological survey should now be completed by the end of the 2025. But what are the next steps after that?
The RDRA Chairman requested a Freedom of Information request on the following questions:
When (on what date) was the decision to close the Woodland path taken? 9th February 2024
Who was responsible for taking that decision? Associate Director for Environment
When was the Environmental Agency Asked/Commissioned to do the Hydrological Survey? The EA has not been asked nor commissioned by TRDC to do a Hydrological Survey. Under their responsibilities for water management the EA have been in the process of updating their Flood Modelling for the Upper River Colne, which will inform a Hydrological Study of the Aquadrome commissioned to JBA by TRDC in 21 March 2024
When was the Environmental Agency’s Hydrological Survey Report received by the Three Rivers District Council? The Council initially received the EA updated Upper River Colne Flood Model ( it is assumed that this is what the enquirer is referring to) on 2nd October 2025 with a further updated version received by the council on 8th October 2025
When is the Environmental Agency’s Hydrological Survey Report being published and is in the public domain and available for public scrutiny? That is a question that the requester should pose to the EA. If this question in fact refers to the council commissioned Hydrological Study it is expected that, as reported to the councils Climate Change and Leisure Committee on 15th October, that this will be complete by the end of the calendar year and published in early 2026.
When is the TRDC scheduling to implement the Environmental Agency’s Hydrological Survey Report Recommendations? EA Upper Colne Flood Model does not contain recommendations, it is a model. Further details on this matter have been published in the report to TRDC Climate Change and Leisure Committee of 15th October and can be found on the council website: Agenda for Climate Change and Leisure Committee on Wednesday, 15th October, 2025, 7.30 pm – Modern Council item 11a.
