Richard Struck

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. To get this newsletter by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

PLANNING
At last week’s Development Control Committee, two of the items listed in the previous newsletter were refused permission. They were at these sites:

The application for housing at 249-253 Watford Road, Croxley Green, WD3 3RX was deferred to the next meeting.

Happy Man News
In response to pressure from TRDC, Tesco is going to tidy up the appearance and safety of the site. They are also preparing to submit a revised planning application.

M25 Work
The environmental bund (tipping) adjacent to Chalfont Road has gone ahead with the agreement of landowner and tenant. It should be finished by July 2010. A small bund is under construction on the Chorleywood side of the M25 at the request of residents.
The plan for a huge bund on the fields above Mill End homes was scaled right down but that has now been abandoned – the tipping is likely to be at Junction 20. TRDC has pressed the contractor to go ahead with the planned acoustic fence to protect residents from increased noise.

Traveller Sites Postponed
An existing traveller site in Bedmond (near Abbots Langley) has been given permission to expand. This has taken much of the immediate pressure off TRDC to identify a site now. The traveller site consultation planned for this year has been postponed.

RICKMANSWORTH LOCAL AREA FORUM
All are welcome to come to the meeting to be held on Wednesday 4 November 2009 at 7.30pm
St John’s Catholic Primary School, Berry Lane, Mill End, Rickmansworth WD3 7HG
Refreshments will be available from 7.00pm
AGENDA
1. INTRODUCTION
2. COMMUNITY SAFETY
To discuss local crime issues with the local Police.
3. THERMAL IMAGING CAMERA
To receive information on the Thermal Imaging Camera
5. LOCAL AREA FORUM GRANT
The Forum is asked to make suggestions for the use of its £2,000 grant.
6. LOCAL ISSUES INCLUDING UPDATES ON THE M25 AND WILLIAM PENN LEISURE CENTRE
Your chance to raise topical local issues.

Ricky Road Run
This event was held on 25th October and highlights can be seen on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IXEnQ0DrM , courtesy of local councillor Les Mead.

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you would like to receive this by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

WILLIAM PENN POOLS

At last night’s full Council meeting, TRDC voted the necessary extra funding to facilitate the completion of the two new pools at William Penn Leisure Centre. The extra cost is of course very unwelcome, but inescapable if the pools are to be finished and made available to the public. The rest of the rebuilding programme - the gym, studios, café etc - has been open some time and very well received. The usage figures have increased significantly.

Since the previous contractor was sacked last February, serious and expensive defects in work already done have been discovered. These defects have had to be put right - failing to do so would certainly have caused trouble and disruption in the future.

The Council is as frustrated and angry as residents, and wants to see the pools open and get those responsible for the delays and cost over-runs to pay. The decision made last night provides the framework to achieve this. The details of the finances were discussed in the confidential part of the meeting to protect TRDC’s position in the likely event of legal action to recover the costs. Disclosure at this stage could prejudice TRDC’s case and put Council Taxpayers’ money at risk.

PLANNING

The Development Control Committee meets this week on Thursday 22nd Oct at 7.30pm, Three Rivers Council Offices. Members of the public are welcome to attend. This month’s agenda includes three local sites we have discussed before:

81, 81A and 81B Hornhill Road and land rear of 2 – 24 (Evens) Woodland Road, Maple Cross, Rickmansworth, WD3 9TG
09/1243/FUL
Demolition of 81, 81A and 81B Hornhill Road and erection of 14 terraced, semi-detached and detached dwellings with associated garages, parking, access road and landscaping.
Previous applications include: (1) demolition of the existing pair of semi-detached dwellings and the erection of seven (one detached, two semi-detached and four terraced) dwellings - refused in June 2007. This application was appealed and subsequently dismissed. (2) Demolition of the existing buildings and erection of six dwellings (one detached, two semi-detached and three terraced) with garages, parking and access road - refused by the Committee but granted on appeal.

249-253 Watford Road, Croxley Green, WD3 3RX
09/1341/FUL
Demolition of existing dwellings and buildings and redevelopment of site for the erection of ten detached two-storey dwellings with garaging, parking and new road.
Previous applications include: (1) Demolition of existing car showroom and erection of 45, one and two bedroom apartments with basement one part four and part five storey building containing car parking at 253 Watford Road. Application withdrawn June 2006. (2) Demolition of existing car showroom and erection of 43 one and two bedroom apartments in two 3/4 storey blocks with basement car parking. Refused 29 October 2007 and dismissed at appeal in 2008.

63 Nightingale Road and land rear of 61 and 65 Nightingale Road, Rickmansworth, WD3 7BU
09/1397/FUL
Demolition of 63 Nightingale Road and outbuilding to rear of 61 Nightingale Road and construction of four detached houses, garaging and access road.
Previous applications include: (1) Erection of five detached dwellings at land to the rear of 61-65 Nightingale Road. Refused February 1998, on grounds of unsatisfactory form of backland development, prejudice privacy of occupiers of existing frontage development and unacceptable loss of trees. (2) Land rear of 57-65 Nightingale Road. Erection of five detached dwellings. Refused October 1998 on grounds of unsatisfactory form of backland development, prejudice privacy of occupiers of existing frontage development and unacceptable loss of trees. Appeals were lodged against the refusal of both the above applications and were dismissed

New plans submitted

Car Park, Grove Crescent, Croxley Green
09/1288/FUL
Proposed block of six flats in two storey building on existing car park with associated car parking and landscaping.

7 - 9 Church Street Rickmansworth WD3 1BX
09/1519/FUL
Change of use of an existing courtyard to an outside cafe space and the replacement of two windows to the rear of No.7 Church Street.

Appeal decisions

Tesco has won its appeal to build seven flats and an express convenience store in Croxley Green, on the site of an old car showroom next to the Shell petrol station. The proposal was twice rejected by the committee and twice withdrawn by the applicant.

“Love Flowers”, 88A High Street, Rickmansworth appealed against an enforcement notice for the erection without planning permission of a pair of outward opening metal gates. The Inspector has allowed the appeal, granted permission, and directed that the enforcement notice be quashed.

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you are reading a copy forwarded by someone else, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

Morningside redevelopment refused
At last month’s Development Control Committee, plans for the redevelopment of Morningside, on the corner of Uxbridge Road and Nightingale Road, were rejected by Councillors. It was considered to be an overbearing development, there was no Section 106 agreement to meet the costs of the additional demand on local services, and there were doubts about the terms of the provision of affordable housing.

New plans submitted

61-63 Nightingale Road, Rickmansworth WD3 7BU
09/1397/FUL
Another application on this contentious site. Demolition of 63 Nightingale Road and outbuilding to rear of 61 Nightingale Road and construction of four detached houses, garaging and access road. A previous application was refused in July last year.

153 High Street, Rickmansworth WD3 1AX
09/1399/FUL
This is the Urban Vine PH, previously The Hogshead, previously Nat West. Change of use of first and second floors from Class C3 (Residential) to Class B1 (Offices) with rear extensions including second floor dormer window and alterations to external steps to rear, change of use of ground floor from Class A4 (Public House) to A3 (Restaurant) and creation of parking spaces to rear.

This month’s Film at Watersmeet
Thursday 15 October 2:00pm & 7:30pm Doubt (15) 104 mins
Set in 1964 the story centres on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing black student, Donald Miller (Joseph Foster) a friendly but awkward boy. His relief is clear when he is befriended by the priest. Meryl Streep stars as the stern Sister Aloysius, Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Priest.

Everyday Active
A new edition of this brochure covering the period from now until March 2010 is available at the Council offices and leisure venues. It contains details of a host of sports & leisure activities, Tea Dancing, Nordic Walking, and IT and digital photography courses in Ricky, Mill End, Croxley, Chorleywood and the rest of the Three Rivers district.

New sports website
A new website has been launched to promote sport and physical activity across Three Rivers.

Residents can now search for sports clubs, activities and projects in their local area all in one place, by visiting the Three Rivers Community Sports Network website - www.threeriverssport.com. Key features include a Club Search facility, a What’s On guide and an interactive Sports Blog where residents can share opinions on topical issues.

Development of the site was funded by Sport England, contributing towards its goal ‘to build a world-leading community sport system of clubs, coaches, facilities and volunteers’.

Editor’s Note: Apologies for lack of newsletters in past month.

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you would like to receive this by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

Art at Watersmeet
Painting, printmaking and drawing by Kathy Foster and Joy Thomson
Saturday 12th September, from 9.00 am - 12.00 pm
This exhibition represents a new drive to display art at Watersmeet and is part of the countywide Herts Open Studios initiative with the Herts Visual Arts forum (full brochure available here http://www.hvaf.org.uk/open-studios/OPEN-STUDIOS-2009/Brochure).

Friends of Watersmeet Film Society
Tickets for films are available at Watersmeet on the day.
Thursday 17 September 2:00pm & 7:30pm The Young Victoria (PG) 104mins.
A romantic and lavish affair, this film follows Queen Victoria from her cloistered childhood to her ascent to the throne at the age of 18, the early years of her reign and her marriage to Prince Albert. Starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend & Paul Bettany. More at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0962736/.

Mortgage Rescue Scheme
Three Rivers Council has been running the Mortgage Rescue Scheme (MRS) since it started in March 2009. This is just one of a number of options and support measures the Council offers home owners in mortgage difficulty or at risk of repossession. The Government has provided £285 million, which is being match funded by Registered Social Landlords, to run the Mortgage Rescue Scheme. The aim is to prevent home owners from having their homes repossessed and Local Authority Housing Departments are administering the scheme on their behalf.
Mortgage Rescue is intended to be a “last resort” and all home owners facing difficulties in making their mortgage payments should, in the first instance, seek advice from an accredited money advice agency such as CAB to look at their finances as a whole as well as what options the lender could offer to make the mortgage repayment affordable. If this is done and there is no alternative then a referral to the Local Authority for a Mortgage Rescue can be considered.
If you require further information please contact the Housing Team on (01923) 727060 or website www.direct.gov.uk/mortgagearrears.

Three Rivers Emergency Services Open Day
The open day last Saturday was a great success. It is estimated that more than 1,000 people attended during the day. Over £800 was raised for this year’s selected charities, Herts Air Ambulance and Help for Heroes.

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you would like to receive this by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

Planning decision deferred
The Development Control Committee meeting on Thursday 20th August deferred a decision on 253 Watford Road, Croxley Green, WD3 3RX for demolition of existing dwellings and buildings and redevelopment of site for the erection of 10 detached two-storey dwellings. Councillors were concerned at the minimal provision for car parking. See 9/0882/FUL.

Appeal dismissed
The Cottage and Windrush, Rectory Road, Rickmansworth. Outline: Demolition of existing two houses, erection of a single building comprising fifteen two bedroom flats with parking for ten cars - the planning appeal has been dismissed. See 08/1974/OUT.

New planning application
Land at 81 & 81a Hornhill Road and Land Rear at of 2 - 24 (evens) Woodland Road, Maple Cross WD3 9TG
See 09/1243/FUL.
Demolition of 81 and 81a Hornhill Road and erection of 14 terraced semi-detached and detached dwellings with associated garages, parking, access road and landscaping. Previous plans on this site have been refused, but one for 6 houses was allowed on appeal.

Kitchen caddies
To make it easier for residents to separate and store food scraps and peelings, Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) will be delivering a free kitchen caddy to every household in the district during September. This follows a successful pilot scheme in Abbots Langley last autumn when 1500 households were given a chance to try kitchen caddies, with encouraging results.

Open day
Saturday 5th September 2009 at Rickmansworth Police, Fire & Rescue Stations.
11 am - 4 pm Free entry, with Collection for Help for Heroes and Herts and Bucks Air Ambulance. Refreshments available. Displays and fun for kids. Please note - NO public parking on site.

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you would like to receive this by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

Development Control Committee meeting, Thursday 20th August, 7.30pm at Three Rivers House.

The following application is on the agenda - you may view the application details and the officers’ report online on the Council website.

253 Watford Road, Croxley Green, WD3 3RX
Demolition of existing dwellings and buildings and redevelopment of site for the erection of 10 detached two-storey dwellings with garaging, parking and new road at 253 Watford Road, Croxley Green, WD3 3RX. There have been previous applications on this site, which is used for car sales and is next to The Harvester public house / restaurant, including one for 45 flats, and another for 24 3-bed houses, both of which were withdrawn by the applicant; the Council refused plans for 42 and 43 flats. More details at 9/0882/FUL.

Local Loos
Many people have commented about the lack of loos in Ricky - but every time TRDC repaired the loos that used to be in the old car park in Northway, they were smashed up within days by vandals. It is the same story in towns up and down the country. The Council now promotes a community toilet scheme. The idea is simple - TRDC teams up with local organisations to enable you to use their loos during normal opening hours.

Venues that are now in the community toilet scheme include:
Three Rivers House (the Council offices), Rickmansworth
Budgens supermarket, Chorleywood
The Harvester public house, Croxley Green
Facilities are also available next to the Cafe in the Park at the Aquadrome.

Environment News
TRDC’s latest round-up of local Environment News can be read at
http://www.threerivers.gov.uk/Default.aspx/Web/environmentnewsaugust09

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you would like to receive this by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

Green Flag for two local beauty spots

Two of the district’s most popular locations have been awarded Green Flag status.

The Chorleywood House Estate and the Aquadrome, both local nature reserves, have been put on a par with some of the country’s finest parks.

The Aquadrome impressed judges with its recent improvement programme. The newly constructed Café in the Park was also praised along with the many active community groups who regularly use the reserve for activities such as sailing, windsurfing, fishing and Nordic walking.

Chorleywood House Estate received equal praise for its significant historic and wildlife interests, including the new Community Orchard project which has seen around 100 apple, plum, cherry and pear trees planted this year.

Green Flag Awards recognise and reward the best parks in the country. The scheme is sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), English Heritage and Natural England.

Locally Listed Buildings

Three Rivers has added the current List of Locally Important Buildings to the following web link: http://www.threerivers.gov.uk/Default.aspx/Web/1234. The documents can be downloaded as PDFs.

The buildings are arranged according to the various parts of the District. The Council would like to hear of any corrections or additions to the information on the current entries, or any suggestions for additions. Please let me know and I will forward any comments received.

Grounds Maintenance Award

Three Rivers Grounds Maintenance has been short-listed as one of the top eight finalists for an award for its Parks, Grounds & Horticultural service. The awards are run by the Association for Public Services Excellence which attracted over 390 submissions across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The awards will be held in September, in Cardiff.

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you would like to receive this by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

Morningside to be redeveloped?
A Housing Association has submiited plans to demolish the existing sheltered housing scheme of 27 units at Morningside, Uxbridge Road/Nightingale Road, and redevelop the site with the erection of a part two and three storey building containing 15 two bed flats and 4 one bed flats with associated car parking and landscaping. More details on the Council’s website - click on this link: 09/1012/FUL

Two health-related reports caught my eye recently, which I pass on for your interest.

Health Profile for Three Rivers
The health of the people of Three Rivers is generally better than the England average. However, smoking in pregnancy, physically active school children, obesity in Reception age children and children’s tooth decay are all similar to the England average. In older people, hip fracture and excess winter deaths are also similar to the England average.
There are inequalities within Three Rivers by location, gender, deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men and women from the least deprived areas can expect to live longer than those in the more deprived areas: for men by 3 years and for women by 4 years.
Over the past ten years rates of deaths from all causes, and early deaths from heart disease and stroke have improved for men and women and are better than the England average.
Compared to last year, smoking during pregnancy and physical activity in school children have worsened and are now similar to the England average. However, GCSE achievement is still the best in England.
Health priorities include reducing smoking prevalence, childhood and adult obesity and alcohol misuse.
More at the APHO website.
(Source: APHO and Department of Health, Crown copyright 2009)

Most polluting postcodes in Britain identified in heart of middle England
Middle class neighbourhoods are the worst polluters according to the first ever breakdown of Britain’s carbon footprint.
Carbon emissions per household by postcode were calculated by looking at official figures on energy use, travel and general consumption including food.
People in wealthy areas eat more exotic and environmentally unfriendly food, such as prawns flown from Malaysia, green beans from Kenya and organic pears from New Zealand.
They fly more often and take foreign holidays in more distant locations, drive more “gas guzzling” 4×4s, and live in bigger houses which cost more to heat and light.
The most polluting area in Britain around Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire (WD3 4xx postcode area - Loudwater and parts of Ricky and Croxley Green) produced more than 36 tonnes on average. Other affluent areas that performed badly such as Woldingham, Surrey, Shiplake, Oxon, and Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire were also in the heart of the commuter belt.
The average household in Britain produces around 28 tonnes of carbon per year.
Full article on the Daily Telegraph website.
(Source: Daily Telegraph, 18 Jul 2009)

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you would like to receive this by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

Riverside Drive closed this Sunday
Three Rivers will be carrying out urgent tree safety works in Riverside Drive this coming Sunday, 19th July. An Emergency Road Closure and Diversion will be in place from early morning and will last all day.

Coach House plans
09/0899/FUL
The Coach House is the office building that sits in the car park next to St Mary’s Church - it was rebuilt several years ago, causing some controversy when modern materials were used. The proposal is for demolition of the building and erection of a two storey building with further accommodation in the roofspace with 12 x 1 bed flats and 2 x 2 bed flats, change of use, formation of new access and ancillary works and re-use of existing access.

William Penn Swimming Pool
Three Rivers issued an update today which anticipates that work to correct defective work carried out by the previous main contractor will lead to completion at the end of the summer (i.e. August/September), provided no further major defects are revealed. The Council says that although this date cannot yet be confirmed, there is no foundation for the opinion that the project will not be completed this year, as recently reported in the local press. The full news bulletin can be found at www.hertsmereleisure.co.uk.

Recycling - new high
Provisional figures for the period April to June show that Three Rivers residents recycled 52% of household refuse, which is a new record.

New Planning Guidance
Updated guidance notes on permitted development rights for householders have been placed on the Council’s website at the following link and are known as the Herts Guide: http://www.threerivers.gov.uk/Default.aspx/Web/Planning
The guidance notes are intended to give clarity both to those who wish to extend their properties and to those who do not wish to see such extensions built. They have been drawn up in response to the Government changes to permitted development rights and are joint documents with all Hertfordshire Districts to provide consistency across the County. The Guide will be updated as case law develops.

Watersmeet Film Society
Thursday 16 July 2:00pm & 7:30pm Australia(12A) 165 mins
Set in northern Australia before World War II. More at imdb.com.

Chorleywood Village Day
Cllr Les Mead has been filming again. Highlights on Youtube.

Welcome to the latest edition of Rickmansworth This Week e-news. If you would like to receive this by email, please contact me at rwstruck@gmail.com to get your own regular delivery. Feedback on this newsletter is always welcomed.

Tesco plan refused
At the Development Control Committee meeting, Thursday 18th June, Tesco’s application for a Tesco store and 7 two-bed flats on the Happy Man site was refused. Meanwhile, Tesco has withdrawn their appeal on the previous plan for a Tesco store and 8 two-bed flats.

High Street plan won on appeal
The plan for 14 apartments at number 1 High Street, Rickmansworth has been won on appeal. Details on this link: http://snipr.com/trdc1479 - the appeal decision is the last item on the Associated Docs tab.

Ebury Road plan won on appeal
The plan for demolition of existing storage building attached to rear of 163 High Street and erection of two storey building comprising five one bedroom flats has been won on appeal. Rear of 163 High Street and 18/24 Ebury Road, Rickmansworth. Details on this link: http://snipr.com/trdc1958 - the appeal decision is the last item on the Associated Docs tab.

Award for local PC
At the recent Hertfordshire Police Authority Safer Neighbourhoods Awards ceremony, PC Emily Laver (Maple Cross, Rickmansworth & Mill End) won the Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year Award - a considerable achievement, as there are 4,000 police officers in Herts.

New number
TRDC’s Environmental Health Out-of-Hours emergency contact number has changed. The main response service has been outsourced to First Response. Contact with them is now via the Council’s main telephone number 01923 776611 where the call will be automatically diverted to an operator.

Watersmeet Film Society
Thursday 16 July 2:00pm & 7:30pm Australia (12A) 165 mins
Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand. More at imdb.com.

Croxley Revels video
Highlights of this year’s event have been put on this YouTube site by Councillor Les Mead.