Ricky Bowls Open Day on 27th & 27th April

Ricky Bowls have another set of Open Days and Open Evenings this year.

The first Open Days are on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th April, 10am to 4pm.

Followed by 4 Open Evenings on the following Thursday evenings: 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd May, 6-8pm.

Anyone who wants to try bowls can come along and have a go. They just need to have flat-bottomed shoes and comfortable clothing as we will provide the bowls for the sessions. Under-18s would need to have a parent with them.

Let’s support this local club!

Find them on Google maps

Download poster


Join #TheFoodConversation at Woodoaks Farm on 1st May!

Message from Woodoaks Farm.

As a valued member of our community, we invite you to join The Food Conversation—a vital opportunity for local citizens to share what they truly want from food.

Food sits at the heart of major challenges, from food insecurity and diet-related illness to its impact on nature and climate. Yet, governments have struggled to act, hindered by uncertainty over public priorities.

The Food Conversation is a nation-wide engagement project by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, asking people what they expect from government and business when it comes to food – and how the food system can deliver more for health, nature and climate.

Join the conversation:

  • Hear the views of people in your community.
  • Contribute to a desperately needed push for food system change.
  • Make connections; build relationships
  • Explore how to become more active in shaping the future of food.

What to do next?

  1. Please RSVP to this email if you or any of your team/ colleagues are able to join us – we would really
    value your input.
  2. Please reserve your free place here:
    https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/join-in-the-food-
    conversation-at-woodoaks-farm-maple-cross-tickets-1316482989059?utm-campaign=social&utm-
    content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-
    source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

What? Welcome by the team at Woodoaks Farm and local Registered Nutritionist, Lucy Williasmon, The Food Conversation presentation & facilitated public discussions (to be summarised after the event). News from the farm & Refreshments!


The 95th Annual General Meeting of RDRA will be held on Monday 16th June 2025, 8pm at the Education Centre, Batchworth Lock, Rickmansworth

All residents of Ricky town, Mill End, Penn and surrounding areas are welcome, but only paid-up members can vote. Refreshments will follow the meeting. Please Park in Church Street, Moor Lane, or Tesco.

Education Centre address: Rickmansworth Waterways Trust, Batchworth Lock Canal Centre, 99 Church Street, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 1JJ

Agenda

  1. Apologies for absence
  2. Approve and sign off minutes of the last AGM
  3. Honorary Treasurer’s Statement of Accounts
  4. To Appoint an Honorary Examiner
  5. Chairman’s Annual Report.
  6. Election of President
  7. Election of Life Vice Presidents
  8. Election of Officers
  9. Election of the Association Committee
  10. Any Other Business
  11. Guest speaker

Financial Statement

Hope to see you there!


Referendum for Neighbourhood Plan on 1st May

Message for those who live in the Batchworth Community Council area.

TRDC have organised a referendum for the Neighbourhood Plan on 1st May 2025 alongside the County Council elections. The question they will be asking is ”Do you want Three Rivers District Council to use the Batchworth Neighbourhood Plan to help it decide planning applications in the Batchworth Neighbourhood area?”.

As you know, the plan was created with the involvement of local residents and businesses, but it’s been a while since the last consultation so we are keen to let residents know where they can find more information about the plan prior to voting.

To read the latest version of the Neighbourhood Plan along with supporting documents visit: www.batchworthplan.org.uk

Download poster

Springwell Lane scrap metal site

Message from Planning Enforcement Team.

I can confirm that an Enforcement Notice was served on 6th September 2024 against the unauthorised use of the Land as an unauthorised Scrap Metal Site in consideration of the formal determination to refuse retrospective planning permission. Subsequently, the operators of the site submitted an Appeal to the Planning Inspector who sit above the Local Planning Authority and have the powers to uphold or dismiss an appeal, and in doing so, uphold, quash or vary/correct an Enforcement Notice. 

The Planning Inspector issued the Appeal Decision on 28 March 2025. The Appeal was dismissed and the Enforcement Notice upheld subject to minor amendments.

The compliance period is one calendar month, and accordingly the operators have one calendar month from the date of the appeal decision to comply, i.e before 28 April 2025.

The requirements of the notice are to:

(i) Cease the use of the Land as a Scrap Metal Yard;

(ii) Demolish and remove from the Land all metal sheet fence panels and wooden posts erected in association with the Scrap Metal Yard;

(iii) Remove from the Land all skips, scrap metal, gas canisters, tyres, and waste materials associated with the Scrap Metal Yard;

(iv) Remove from the Land all vehicles and machinery associated with the Scrap Metal Yard;

(v) Remove from the Land all debris, items, building materials resulting from compliance with points (i) ? (iv) above

We will conduct a site inspection on or shortly after 28 April 2025. Should it be established that the Notice has not been complied with at that time, the next step will be to write to all those with a legal interest in the Land, notifying them of the Council’s intention to instigate prosecution proceedings. Failure to comply with the requirements of an Enforcement Notice(s) is a criminal offence, which on conviction, can result in an unlimited fine. 

Separately, in relation to the comments you make in relation to the “effect on the environment”, I can confirm that the Environment Agency attended a joint inspection of the site (at my request) with Council Officers in February 2024. They are aware of this site and where they identify concerns, they have powers to require certain actions. Since the site inspection, the Environment Agency have not shared environmental concerns with me. In any case I refer you to the above action which has been taken by the Council, using powers within its control to deal with the breach of planning control. 

100+ Club local good causes

RDRA 100+ Club presentation to two worthy local causes:
The Community Garden and Batchworth Boat Rally

The Community Garden is a great place to volunteer, meet like-minded people and be involved in this wonderful, sustainable Rickmansworth community. Rosi received our donation, pictured below.

Batchworth Boat Rally is a great two day event for everyone, held on May 17th and 18th 2025 and started up again in the absence of our beloved annual Rickmansworth Festival. Chrissy received our donation, pictured below.

Please join the 100+ Club to support us and more local good causes:
https://rickmansworthresidents.org/100plus/

Have your say on council services. Deadline 31st March

Residents have an opportunity to shape the future of council services across Three Rivers district as the latest major survey of local opinion is launched.

The survey was started in December 2024 but ends on 31 March 2025 so have your say on Three Rivers District Council’s annual survey. The results will help the council make informed decisions over the future of services.

https://haveyoursay.threerivers.gov.uk/residents-survey-2024

Response to Local Government Reorganisation

Whilst this is obviously very early in the process and our views could change as proposals develop and more information becomes available, I have discussed this matter with Joint Residents’ Association . This is the outline of my initial views. The views below are based on an assumption that the move to a unitary authority is going to happen and therefore we have not considered whether moving to this is better than the current council structure.

Having considered the guidance provided by the Government, it would appear a model where Hertfordshire is split into two unitary authorities (South-West Hertfordshire and North-East Hertfordshire) would provide the best balance of local democracy with being able to leverage economies of scale to deliver increased efficiency.

In this model, South-West Hertfordshire would probably constitute an amalgamation of Three Rivers, Dacorum, Watford, St Albans and Hertsmere. This aligns with the group of districts that are already working together on the Joint Strategic Plan and amounts to approximately half of the population of Hertfordshire County. It also approximately aligns to the local NHS Trust area that used to be covered by the Herts Valleys CCG and now Herts and West Essex ICB.

It is believed that a council of this size will be able to maintain a local perspective whilst balancing the need to deliver increased efficiency. It is possible that a three-council model (West, Central and East) could work but would have an initial population below the level suggested by the Government, about 400,000 each. However, based on the new homes requirement from the Standard Methodology, it would appear that the population of each of the areas will grow quickly.

Whilst a single Hertfordshire Unitary authority would enable increased economies of scale to be generated, it is our feeling that it would be too distant from local areas and would significantly weaken true local democracy, so this is not a preferred alternative.

Within this re-organisation, we strongly feel that consideration should be given to delegating some of the roles of the current district councils to local councils where the need for local knowledge could outweigh the savings that can be made through consolidation of services. This could include areas such as play areas, parks, green spaces, leisure and, possibly, small (not major) planning applications. After all, the best way to economise is to make the right decisions first time and this is aided by local knowledge.

Looking to the future, it is possible that a mayor covering a much wider area than the councils could be a good move – possibly Herts, Essex and Bucks. These areas form the Northern Home Counties, and all have fairly similar natures – in particular being largely dependent on London for employment. As such their concerns are broadly aligned, particularly with regard to transport. This would comprise an area with a population of just over three million, about the same as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. These mayoralties seem to work well for strategic matters such as transport but should not be involved in more local matters.

To ensure that whatever solution is finally decided upon has the widest possible buy-in, we ask that Residents Associations are included in the discussions on this matter, either through local RA’s or through the Joint RA.

Ashok Pattni

100+ Club winner presentation

Congratulations to our Second place winner, David Fyles, pictured below being presented their winnings by the RDRA’s Membership Secretary Anne Littlejohn.

First place winner, Sanjay Bouri, and Third place winner, Sanjay Pattni, have kindly donated their winnings.

To find out more and join our RDRA’s 100+ Club, click the link below:
https://rickmansworthresidents.org/100plus/