Members’ area
Three Rivers are asking residents and visitors for their comments on each of the five names shortlisted below. Final decision on the bridge name will be made later this year.
The proposed names are:
Each suggested name has a description explaining its link to Rickmansworth. The survey will run until Friday 28 March.
Message from Three Rivers District Council.
Local authorities are required to develop proposals for reorganisation, in areas where there are currently two tiers of local government.
This will be a once in a generation change that effects local people and services for decades to come. It is therefore important that there is proper consideration of the options and meaningful consultation with residents, key local organisations, including business, and our public sector partners.
Our priority is to ensure any changes genuinely benefit residents and businesses while safeguarding high-quality local services.
Hertfordshire’s leaders are working together to explore the best way forward, but we do not support a single unitary council. Hertfordshire is simply too big to be run by a single council. With a population of 1.2 million across urban, suburban, and rural areas, it would be much larger than any local authority in the UK, creating an oversized bureaucracy that could slow down decision-making and make services less responsive to the needs of our diverse communities. Local issues require local solutions, and one giant council would risk losing the connection between residents and the services they rely on, and maintaining these connections is our priority.
All councils in Hertfordshire, along with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, are collaborating to assess the options. However, with no agreed proposals, Hertfordshire will not be included in the first phase of reforms. Given the financial and staffing challenges councils already face, it is essential to balance the delivery of vital services with any future governance changes.
This process is still at an early stage, and we want to keep residents, businesses, and stakeholders updated as discussions progress. Any changes must be carefully considered, transparent and inclusive, ensuring that residents and businesses are fully engaged in shaping the future governance of Hertfordshire. As we consider future options, we would therefore be eager to hear your views in this initial early stage, particularly on whether Hertfordshire should have more or less local councils and your views on what this would mean for decision-making in our communities.
We are committed to ongoing consultation and involvement and we will expect to deliver more formal stages of public consultation as plans progress.
If you wish to share your initial views please send those through to us at devolutionlgr@threerivers.gov.uk by Wednesday 12 March 2025.
Aquadrome Pedestrian Bridge Replacement.
The old Aquadrome pedestrian bridge off Riverside Drive, next to the playground, is being replaced for a new gateway to the nature reserve. Three Rivers District Council’s contractor, Beaver Bridges, successfully disassembled the bridge last month and the new bridge will be installed on 15th and 16th March. Expect single lane traffic management during this time.
The Aquadrome remains open via the car park, towpath by the canal, or by following the established diversion signage.
The new bridge, funded largely by developer contributions, will be 48.6m in length and 3m wide – double in width than the old bridge to allow pedestrians, wheelchairs, buggies and cyclists to pass each other safely and encourage sustainable travel. The surrounding area will also be attractively landscaped to provide a great view of Batchworth Lake.
Fishing swim enhancements:
Enhancement work on the fishing swims started last month on Batchworth Lake. Three Rivers District Council’s contractor, AquaMaintain will be working on the site until Monday 31 March. The plans, which have been funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, have been developed in consultation with the local fishing club and Countryside Management Services.
The Story so far:
Earlier in the year we reported the conclusion of the Lottery fund bid ‘Identify, Inform, Involve’ – Natural Heritage Networks project successes. Our Evaluation report and digital brochure documenting the community programme are now hosted on the council’s website. We are pleased to share these with you and hope that you enjoy looking through the two documents: Natural Heritage Networks Evaluation Report and Aquadrome 2024 Activity Highlights.
Please visit Rickmansworth Aquadrome Digital Brochures.
It’s an exciting time at the Aquadrome and we thank you for your continued support.
Between 10am and midday on Friday 14 March, in the foyer of Three Rivers House on Northway, WD3 1RL meet face-to-face with our local PCSO named Ryun Beeson.
Come along to discuss any concerns you may have regarding neighbourhood issues in your area. Receive crime prevention advice & support for finding further services.
Please fill in the latest survey from Hertfordshire Constabulary:
https://survey.hertsconnected.co.uk/Survey/HASH/FA1FD581D6BECEEB6A56E2BD237D2C0B
This article will be in the next Ricky News, written by RDRA Committee members Christina Evans, Anne Littlejohn, Andrea Clark & Debbie Wheeler.
The RDRA (Rickmansworth & District Residents’ Association) organised the Batchworth Bridge Crossing Safety Forum on 29th January, in partnership with BCC (Batchworth Community Council) to discuss the hazards of Batchworth Bridge Crossing. Fortunately to date, there has not been a fatality (unless you count the two dead swans). Over 60 residents attended the Forum.
The major concerns highlighted at the Forum:
Suggestions from the Forum were:
Residents were in favour of permanent traffic lights on the crossing.
Contact Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) for action to be taken. Request reply. Use the HCC webform to inform them:
Or scan the above QR code
Or phone HCC direct: 0300 123 4047
Message from Woodoaks Farm
Woodoaks’ Black Barn Project planning application for a Community and Education Hub is now in with Three Rivers. The picture below shows how it will appear on the landscape in the artist’s impression:
Our hope is that Three Rivers District Council will approve it without challenges, but community support is now crucial and that’s where we’d love your help, whethr you are a cyclist, green hearted, nature lover or live nearby etc.
Please can you add your voice? Emails to the planning officer will help them to recognise the far reaching and positive impact the Black Barn Project will have.
Send a brief email describing why you support the application (sadly template letters are discounted).
You will need to include your name, and your address as local support really holds weight.
We really appreciate everyone’s time pressed, so here are a few pointers that might help:-
Our mission: To create a community hub for education, lifelong skills, and resilience. To extend a warm welcome to young and old to reconnect, and help restore the balance of nature, people, and planet.
The Black Barn Project will create…
A place already known as ‘A Beacon of Hope’ by our local community.
Deadline for submission is no later than Wednesday 5th March.
Email: Clara.Loveland@threerivers.gov.uk
Reference Number: 25/0154/FUL
Include your name and address (especially if you’re local!)
As well as contacting HCC directly, please can you also sign the Batchworth Bridge petition which can be found on the Three Rivers Website https://my.threerivers.gov.uk/E-Petitions.
Select option ‘Sign a submitted petition online‘ and search for “Make Batchworth Bridge Crossing Safe for all users”. You will need to login or create a login to sign. Thank you.
Well done to our latest winners who are being contacted about their winnings!
Please join our 100+ Club:
https://rickmansworthresidents.org/100plus/
Message from Batchworth Community Council (BCC)
Dear Resident,
Thank you for braving the cold and attending the Batchworth Bridge Forum, hosted by the Rickmansworth & District Residents’ Association (RDRA) on the Wednesday 29th January.
Batchworth Community Council (BCC) has collated your comments and met County Councillor Reena Ranger to discuss them.
Cllr Ranger said, “Thank you for taking the time to talk to RDRA and Batchworth Community Council – I will be discussing the feedback with Hertfordshire County Council. These will be very helpful for improving Hertfordshire’s initial proposals sent to BCC along with the expert analysis I funded.”
Since the meeting, Batchworth Community Council and Cllr Ranger have raised the ‘small’ improvements with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), to see if they can go ahead without a wider scheme.
In addition, a resident who attended the meeting has launched a petition for Three Rivers District Council to part-fund the works to the crossing using Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL): paid by developers to improve infrastructure locally.
The petition can be found on the Three Rivers Website https://my.threerivers.gov.uk/ please search for “Make Batchworth Bridge Crossing Safe for all users”. To sign the petition log in with your usual Three Rivers user name and password or register if you’ve not used the TRDC site before.
CIL was discussed at the forum last week. In total, £3.5 million has been paid for developments in Batchworth – about half of all the CIL paid across the district. However, 85% of it goes to Three Rivers, and other bodies have to apply for it.
BCC backed a Hertfordshire County Council bid to help fund the crossing, but this was refused by Three Rivers in December. The petition is for Three Rivers to rethink its decision.
BCC and Cllr Ranger will be in touch as soon as we have some news to give you on this project. Again, thank you for attending and your comments.
In the meantime, please visit https://rickmansworthresidents.org/ to sign up for news from the RDRA.
Best wishes,
From all of us at BCC and your County Councillor Reena Ranger