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.

Local Election Results
The only seats to change hands in Three Rivers last week were two of Labour’s seats in South Oxhey. One went to the BNP and the other to the Conservatives. Both were very close - in one, the BNP majority was 18 votes, in the other one only 8 votes separated the three candidates
Rickmansworth and Rickmansworth West were held by the Conservatives, while Penn and Maple Cross & Mill End were held by the Liberal Democrats.
The composition of the Council is now: Lib Dems 31 (unchanged), Conservatives 12 (up 1), Labour 4 (down 2), and BNP 1 (up 1).
Full results are on the www.threerivers.gov.uk website.

Local Plans
253 Watford Road, Croxley Green
http://snipr.com/trdc0905
Demolition of existing car showrooms and erection of 42 one and two bedroom apartments in 2, three/four storey blocks with 50 car parking spaces. A previous application for 43 flats was refused by Three Rivers Development Control Committee, and is awaiting an appeal in July.

National Compost Awareness Week
Hertfordshire County Council is donating 10 tonnes of compost, made from green waste collected throughout the county - mostly at the Household Waste Recycling Centres. This will be given away to residents, as has been done in previous years, as part of National Compost Awareness week. The giveaway this year will be held in Sir James Altham swimming pool car park, Little Oxhey Lane, South Oxhey. The change of venue is to give residents in other parts of the district the opportunity to get some. Grounds Maintenance staff will be on duty tomorrow, Wednesday 7th May between 8.30am and 3pm (or until the compost runs out). Residents are asked to bring their own bag(s). It will be on a first come first served basis, with a limit of 2 bags each.

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 Appeals

Following refusal of permission by Three Rivers, a number of developers have gone to appeal recently. The following four local ones are coming up over the next couple of months:

Windrush and The Cottage, Rectory Road http://snipr.com/trdc1947
Outline Application: Demolition of existing two detached dwellings and erection of a three storey building comprising 12 x 2 bed flats and alterations to vehicular access.
The Informal Hearing will open on 17th June 2008 at Three Rivers House, starting at 10.00am.

253 Watford Road, Croxley Green http://snipr.com/trdc1487
Proposed Development: Demolition of existing car showroom and erection of 43, one and two bedroom apartments in 2, three/four storey blocks with basement car parking.
The Public Inquiry will open on 22nd July 2008 at Three Rivers House starting at 10.00am.

61 Harefield Road http://snipr.com/trdc0863
Proposed Development: Conversion of ground floor to veterinary surgery and conversion of first floor into two flats.
The Public Inquiry will open on 31st July 2008 at Three Rivers House starting at 10.00am.

140 Berry Lane http://snipr.com/trdc2479
Proposed Development: Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of three detached dwellings.
The appeal is to be decided on the basis of an exchange of written statements by the parties and a site visit by an Inspector.

Waitrose to sponsor this year’s Panto
Waitrose have come up with a sponsorship deal with Watersmeet for this year’s pantomime. They saw last year’s production, which they enjoyed, and were very happy to have their brand associated with the panto, the venue and the Council.
Waitrose will be funding one whole performance of the pantomime for disadvantaged children and families from the Three Rivers district.

Local Elections
A reminder that local elections for one-third of the seats on Three Rivers Council take place this Thursday. All the wards in the “unparished” area have an election this time - that’s Ricky, Ricky West, Penn, Maple Cross & Mill End, and Moor Park & Eastbury. Polling stations are open from 7.00am until 10.00pm. The count takes place at Three Rivers House on Friday morning - the Council will publish results as they are declared on the website: www.threerivers.gov.uk

No plans for Mount View
Local residents have been made anxious by an election leaflet referring to plans for flats in Mount View. No such plans have been submitted to the Council.

Ricky Week and Ricky Festival
Ricky Week begins on May 10th with the carnival parade through the town, and ends with fun, food and music at the Rickmansworth Festival, the town’s annual celebration of all things canals and environmental over the final weekend.
This year the Festival is on 17th and 18th May, with the usual array of canal boats moored up to four deep along the towpath, exhibitions, history talks and much more.
More information in this newsletter nearer the time - or go to www.threerivers.gov.uk and look at the Community Noticeboard pages.

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.

Tudor Parade
At last a date has been given by EDF for connecting the new streetlights to the power supply - week commencing April 21st. It has been extremely frustrating that this work, which was scheduled to be completed before last Christmas, has dragged on in this way.

Development Control Committee
The monthly meeting is this week, on Thursday April 17th, 7.30pm, at Three Rivers House. Members of the public are welcome to attend. There are no major schemes in the Rickmansworth area on the agenda.

Watersmeet Film - The Queen
The Friends of Watersmeet Film Society are showing ‘The Queen’ on Thursday 17 April 2008. Matinee 2.00pm, Evening 7.30pm.
Following the matinee you can enjoy a special Afternoon Tea for £1.00. From 6.30pm a Palace Punch and canapes will be on offer at £1.50.

The Queen: The sudden death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, catapulted the House of Windsor to the brink of disaster. The decision of the Royal Family to remain holed-up in their summer retreat at Balmoral surprised a shocked public, pushing royal popularity to an all time low… Starring Helen Mirren.

Following the matinee you can enjoy a special Afternoon Tea for £1.00. From 6.30pm a Palace Punch and canapes will be on offer at £1.50.
All welcome. New comfortable seating has now been installed.

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.

Decisions at Development Control Committee, 20th March

Diversion of Public Footpath between 165/167 High Street and 18/20 Ebury Road
This is the footpath (to be called Farr’s Alley) which was re-opened last year. The committee agreed that this should go out to formal public consultation, with official notices in the local press. If there are no objections, the diversion will be confirmed. The application is by the developer of the scheme at 18/20 Ebury Road, for a diversion to bring it into line with the approved plans - these plans are still on the council’s website http://snipr.com/trdc2209

2 Moneyhill Parade - Hambling’s Butchers shop http://snipr.com/trdc0109
Change of use from A1 (retail) to A5 (hot food take-away) for a pizza operation. The planning officers recommended approval. The agenda for the meeting listed 4 objections and 7 in support. A further 17 letters were subsequently submitted, also in support. The committee approved the proposed change.

Digging for Heat in the Rose Gardens
Residents may wonder what is going behind the hoardings at the Rose Gardens opposite Three Rivers House. The answer is the installation of ground source heat pumps. These are a simple and practical way of extracting heat from the ground to heat the council offices in the winter and cool them down in summer. The system will make a practical long term difference in reducing C02 emissions, heating costs and, ultimately, Council Tax bills. The system costs about the same amount as a conventional replacement, which was needed anyway. It will pay for itself in six years and reduce carbon emissions from day one.
Water pipes are being buried three metres below ground. At this depth, the soil stays at a relatively constant 11 - 12 deg.C, compared to the much wider variations in the air of between minus 10 and plus 30 or more deg.C depending on the season. Because the ground is warmer than the air in winter and cooler than the air in summer, the single pumping system can help provide both heating and cooling at different times of the year.
There’s more about how these systems work on www.energysavingtrust.org.uk - follow the link for “Generate your own energy”.

Easter Alleluia
For early risers next Sunday, the traditional short ecumenical Easter service takes place at a new venue this year - the Berry Lane open space at the top of Field Way, not Ropes Island. It starts at 7.00am. There’s usually coffee and hot-cross buns afterwards.

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Scores on the Doors

Ever wondered how clean your local pub or café’s kitchen is? I have been pushing for 6 or 7 years for the Council’s environmental health reports to be made publicly accessible on the website - and at last it has been done. (There were legal obstacles, apparently.) According to the Food Standards Agency, up to 5.5 million people in the UK are affected by food poisoning each year.

Pubs, restaurants and cafés range from excellent standards of hygiene (five stars) to poor (no stars). The new Scores on the Doors initiative provides a snapshot of how clean premises were at their last inspection by environmental health officers. We hope people will find it helpful when choosing where to eat out.

The ratings for sheltered housing, school and business canteens, supermarkets and other food shops are also available on-line.

The scores will protect the public and put added pressure on unhygienic venues to clean up their act. The Council has already taken court action against two food outlets this year. One local pub was fined £6,500 by the Court, reduced to reflect the early guilty pleas. The Council also recovered £3,700 in costs.

Development Control Committee - Thursday 20th March, 7.30pm Three Rivers House. Members of public welcome to attend.

Items of particular interest locally:

Diversion of Public Footpath between 165/167 High Street and 18/20 Ebury Road

This is the footpath (to be called Farr’s Alley) which was re-opened last year. The developer of the scheme at 18/20 Ebury Road is applying for a diversion to bring it into line with the approved plans - these plans are still on the council’s website http://snipr.com/trdc2209

2 Moneyhill Parade - Hambling’s Butchers shop http://snipr.com/trdc0109

Change of use from A1 (retail) to A5 (hot food take-away) for a pizza operation. The planning officers recommend approval. The agenda for the meeting lists 4 objections and 7 in support.

Old seats put to good use

Watersmeet has been fitted out with comfortable new seats. All the seats have folding arms and seats which flip up when people stand up creating more leg room and easy access to walk through the rows. The seats all have good sight lines and the auditorium now has an increased capacity of 515.

The old seats have been put to good use and are now being used by congregations at St. Mary’s Church and The Baptist Church, Rickmansworth.

Watersmeet Film Society

Wednesday 26 March at 2:00pm and 7:30pm The Last King of Scotland (15) 121 mins. Based on the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s regime as seen through the eyes of his personal physician.

Anyone know “Brain” or Brane”?

Crimestoppers, in conjunction with Three Rivers District Council, are offering a £100 reward to anyone who rings in with the name or names of who is responsible for the graffiti tag ‘Brain/Brane’ leading to their arrest and conviction. This graffiti has appeared over recent weeks in Rickmansworth and Croxley Green.

If the offender is a friend of yours, help prevent them getting into more serious trouble as the Council will attempt to recover the costs of removing this criminal damage from the perpetrator. The cost of removing similar damage recently caused by one individual came to more than £250,000!

If anyone knows the person or persons responsible for this unlawful damage, they can ring 0800 555 111 to claim the reward.

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.

Footpath gets named
The historic footpath between Ebury Road and the High Street that was re-opened at the end of last year after a seven year campaign is to be called Farr’s Alley after the old clock and watch man who had a tiny shop in the alley for many years.

Gypsy & Traveller consultation
Following the East of England Regional Assembly meeting (EERA) in Norwich which increased Three Rivers’ allocation of pitches from two to 15, there is now a public consultation on the issue running until May 16th. If you wish to comment please see www.goeast.gov.uk/goeast/planning/regional_planning

Easter holiday activities
The Easter Activities programme for 5-16 year olds is now available from Three Rivers DC, with lots of activities all round the district.

Works at the Aquadrome
The work under way in the Aquadrome is the result of a £75,000 award to Three Rivers from the Aggregates Levy Fund – the Aquadrome qualified because the lakes are the result of gravel extraction in the 1920s.

The programme includes:

• Tree Works – mostly long overdue pollarding. The trees look stark now but they will soon shoot again
• Reed Bed Creation in this recently declared Local Nature Reserve
• Wet Meadow Creation with wildflower seeds and bulbs to be planted
• Interpretation/Welcome Boards – six new boards are being designed
• Furniture – new litter bins, dog bins and benches
  

In addition to the works funded by the Aggregates Levy Fund, the temporary scaffolding bridge in the Glade is being replaced by a more accessible bridge. The work should be finished in early April.
The sluice in Bury Lake will be replaced. The building of the new Café and toilet block will start in May after the Festival.
During the year the existing main car park will be renewed. The network of footpaths will be improved and made more accessible. The vehicle barriers within the Aquadrome will be replaced which will improve security and safety. Finally, there will be bank stabilisation in some places to reduce erosion, create extra habitats, increase wildlife value and help reduce the blue-green algae problems.

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.

Council Tax
The Three Rivers portion of the Council Tax is frozen this year - in fact many residents will see a slight reduction. Unfortunately, you will still pay more overall than last year. This is because most of your Council Tax (about 80p in the £) goes to Herts County Council, and their share is increasing by 4.5%.

Development Control meeting
Three Rivers Development Control Committee met last Thursday, 21st February, and decided the following.

Petit Roque, 5A New Road, Croxley Green
http://snipr.com/trdc2204
Approved - Demolition of all existing buildings and erection of new offices for business use.

11 Chestnut Avenue, Chorleywood
http://snipr.com/trdc2264
Approved - Demolition of existing house and replacement with one much larger one.

140 Berry Lane
http://snipr.com/trdc2479
Refused - Demolition of existing house and erection of 3 detached. Reason for refusal - over development of site, out of character with area.

Denham Way, next to Hertford House, Maple Cross
http://snipr.com/trdc2601
Approved - erection of a four storey office building with roof top plant room, detached reception building, multi-storey car park and associated access and landscaping.

New Plans received by Three Rivers
You can comment on these planning applications online - just follow the links.

81/81A Hornhill Road, Maple Cross
http://snurl.com/trdc0134
Demolition of existing buildings and erection of six dwellings with garages, parking, and access road.
A previous application for seven houses was refused by the Development Control Committee last June, and the subsequent appeal was dismissed last December.

15 Moneyhill Parade, Uxbridge Road
http://snurl.com/trdc0203
Demolition of existing public convenience building and erection of two storey side and single storey rear extension to provide new cafe and three self contained flats and extended restaurant. A similar application was refused permission last October, for inadequate access and parking arrangements, and nearness to sycamore tree.

Reminder - Local Area Forum
Tuesday 4th March, 7.30pm to 9.30pm approx.
St John’s RC School, Berry Lane.
Agenda - Community safety, update on WIlliam Penn Leisure Centre, Planning Enforcement, use of plastic bags. Everyone welcome to attend.

The Liberal Democrat administration has set a zero increase in the Three Rivers portion of the council tax for 2008/9.

There will be no cuts in services to pay for the freeze. Increased investment in services is planned. The successful free access to swimming for school children in the holidays will be extended to fitness facilities. There will be a trial of special fitness equipment for older residents.

Environmental protection and sustainability remain priorities. There is more funding for the popular small traffic calming schemes and for much needed renovation of council owned garages and paths. Following the transfer of the council’s housing, resources have been allocated to ensure Thrive Homes keeps the promises made to tenants. Refuse and recycling collection will be improved by a new system to reduce missed collections. An improvement in the Out of Hours service is planned.

Sound financial management and significant efficiency savings already achieved, together with more savings planned, means we can increase investment in services, while retaining prudent balances and holding down tax levels.

The Three Rivers Council tax is only part of the bill residents pay. The Conservative run County Council, which takes 80p in every £1, is increasing its charge by 4.5%.

The Three Rivers Conservatives proposed a 20% reduction, but this is a political gimmick. Residents have made it very clear that they do not want services reduced – quite the opposite. Wild fluctuations undermine sound financial management and lead to huge increases, slashed services, and uncertainty later to make up. No party with actual responsibility for running the Council could make such a reckless proposition.

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.

Happy Man - planning application expected
Three Rivers District Council has been pressing Punch Taverns to get on and do something about the Happy Man site - it is an eyesore in the neighbourhood.
They have now come back to TRDC and informed us that they are negotiating to sell the site for development for a retail general store on the ground floor with seven 2 bedroom flats above on two storeys.
It is likely that a planning application for this will be submitted in the next 2 or 3 months.
Residents will be pleased to know that Punch Taverns have just agreed to pay TRDC to remove graffiti from the hoardings round the building and do a regular weekly litter collection there.

Development Control Agenda
Three Rivers Development Control Committee meets on Thursday, 21st February. Local items on the agenda include:

Petit Roque, 5A New Road, Croxley Green
http://snipr.com/trdc2204
Demolition of all existing buildings and erection of new offices for business use. Since the January meeting, the number of units has been reduced from three to two, to address the Committee concerns about parking and turning on the site.

11 Chestnut Avenue, Chorleywood
http://snipr.com/trdc2264
Demolition of existing house and replacement with one much larger one. Since the January meeting, the drawings have been clarified.

140 Berry Lane
http://snipr.com/trdc2479
Demolition of existing house and erection of 3 detached.

Denham Way, next to Hertford House, Maple Cross
http://snipr.com/trdc2601
On the site where permission was recently given for a hotel, this application is for erection of a four storey office building with roof top plant room, detached reception building, multi-storey car park and associated access and landscaping.

Watersmeet Film Society
Tickets on sale on day of performance - Thursday 21st February, Matinee 2.00pm. Evening 7.30pm.
The Good Shepherd (Cert 15) 167 mins.
“A thoughtful, measured cold war drama, it shows a keen eye for detail and an actors love for performance. The film charts the history of the CIA through the life of spymaster Edward Wilson.”

Local Area Forum
Tuesday 4th March, 7.30pm to 9.30pm approx. St John’s RC School, Berry Lane.
Agenda - Community safety, update on WIlliam Penn Leisure Centre, Planning Enforcement, use of plastic bags. Everyone welcome to attend.

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.

Row over gypsy and traveller sites

At the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) meeting in Norwich on 25th January, the Lib Dem representatives attempted to restore common sense to the controversial process for increasing the number of the gypsy and traveller pitches in the region.

The Lib Dem amendment would have allowed district councils in Hertfordshire and elsewhere to resist their new pitch allocations if they were able to prove through their local planning process that the provision could not be met. This would have been of particular use to district councils in the green belt (eg Three Rivers) or which are largely urbanised.

However, the Conservative representative of Hertfordshire County Council was the main speaker against the amendment, which was defeated as a result of Labour and Conservative votes.

Hertfordshire needs around 115 pitches, according to independent research accepted by EERA. As a result of this vote Hertfordshire will now have to find space for 176 pitches. Three Rivers’ allocation has been increased from 2 to 15 - a sevenfold increase.

Three Rivers will be seeking the support of other Hertfordshire districts to fight this allocation. There has to be something wrong with a process that allows caravan pitches to be provided in the green belt where houses would be not be allowed.

New Planning Applications

If you follow the links to the website, you will see that you can submit comments online.

Hamblings Butchers at 2 Moneyhill Parade, Uxbridge Road
08/0109/FUL http://snipr.com/trdc0109
Change of use from A1 (retail) to A5 (hot food takeaway) with new shop front, changes to internal layout and air conditioning unit, cold room compressor and extractor duct to rear. A previous application was on the Development Control Committee’s agenda last October, but the application was withdrawn by the applicants at the last minute and not discussed.

Keepers Cottage, 128 Valley Road
08/0167/FUL http://snipr.com/trdc0167
Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of two, two storey detached dwellings and two single storey double garages. An application here in 2006 was refused, and dismissed at a subsequent appeal. Another application last October was also refused - excessive size and bulk, and pressure on trees.

Recycling site open again

The Riverside Drive site is open for business again. To enter the site you need to approach from the roundabout, as before, and when you exit you are now directed to turn left along Riverside Drive. The site is not quite finished, but it is already a substantial improvement on the previous arrangements. The site incorporates what was the infamous Capital Skips - which is where this newsletter started, two years ago!