Three Rivers District Council has designated the Red Cross Centre as a site for future development with 6 dwellings to be built on the land.
This decision will remove a vital, well-used community space, which was built using funds raised directly from Croxley Green residents.
Three Rivers District Council own the land where the Centre is and it is completely their decision to build dwellings there instead. This cannot be allowed to happen.
In 2019 the Parish Council made an offer to take over the Centre to ensure that it remained open and available to Croxley Green residents, community groups and organisations. This has not been accepted.
Croxley Green needs spaces such as this where the community can come together to enable Croxley's great community spirit to thrive and grow.
Three Rivers District Council have not been open and transparent with Croxley Green residents over their plans for the Centre and the decision to mark this site for development is an affront and an insult to our community and must be stopped.
Please sign this petition to help support Croxley Green Parish Council in their efforts to take over the Centre to ensure that it remains open for our community.
Below is an open letter to Croxley Green Councillors from a concerned local resident -
"In the recent local elections, the Croxley Liberal Democrat campaign literature included an explicit pledge that the candidates, and by implication, the party, were committed to ensuring that the Red Cross Centre was preserved for community use. Now, less than three weeks later, we learn that in the draft Three Rivers Local Plan the site has been designated for housing (six dwellings). Given that election pledge I do hope that you and the other Croxley councillors will oppose this.
In the approved Croxley Neighbourhood Plan the Centre is designated for community use – see pages 41/42. According to government guidance this should not be overridden other than in “material circumstances” although these are not defined. There are about 36,000 dwellings in Three Rivers. The government target for new dwellings is, I believe, 620 per year for 15 years i.e. another 9,300 dwellings. In neither context can 6 dwellings be considered “material”.
In 2019 Sarah Bedford, then leader of the Council, said that only 40% - 50% of the target for new dwellings could be met without “harming existing communities”. Sacrificing the Centre for six dwellings is a clear example of such harm.
The Red Cross has been in fundamental breach of the lease covenants, particularly as regards clause 14, for the last fifteen years or so. I know from my own discussions with Red Cross management between 2014 and 2017 that it has no intention of complying with those covenants. It now apparently wishes to terminate the lease early – it has 44 years to run. In those circumstances, I would expect the Red Cross to first effect any repairs necessary to bring the building to an acceptable standard in accordance with clauses 3 and 19 of the lease. Has this been agreed?
For around 40 years until c2005 when the Red Cross started to drastically cut support, the Centre was open six days a week providing a variety of services to the Croxley community, particularly the elderly. It could do so again, though not necessarily limited to the elderly, if under the control of the Parish Council which has offered to take over the building. Why not give the Council the chance?"
SYCAMORE AMENITY LAND – Let’s give credit where credit is due
It wasn’t ONLY the Liberal Democrat ward councillors who helped stop the recent application to build on the Sycamore Road amenity land (used by the residents of the flats), as comes across in the recent Lib Dem leaflet. My congratulations go to the many residents who objected so strongly (71 separate objections). In particular to […]
We are prophets but we are also agents of change
By Mary Chabrel, Green Party member. Thirty years ago this month, I finished my GCSEs, Geography being one of them. I was already a conservation volunteer in the Colne Valley and in the lower sixth I founded ‘Help Earth Live Peacefully’, a still applicable maxim I think! The group collected cans in separate bins, squashed […]
Green Party stands with Black communities
22nd June marks Windrush Day, a day which commemorates the Windrush Generation and their legacy. The first generation of workers came to the UK by invitation to help rebuild Britain after World War II but many were met with hostility and intolerance when they arrived. Since then, Black individuals have been wrongly detained, denied legal rights, […]
Damning national statistics and the role of local authorities in Public Health
Boris Johnson’s confusing messages to the nation mean lots of working people will be feeling anxious about what to do right now. The Government hasn’t yet published guidance on how workers will be kept safe. The latest slogan “Stay Alert” leaves it up to individuals to figure out what they should do and puts the responsibility of safety on individuals as […]
Reflections from ’30 Under 30′
In early March, as part of a group of 30 Young Greens from across the country, I headed to Birmingham, to take part in a weekend of training workshops, in an attempt to learn more about, and become engaged with, Green politics. For me, and many others selected for this year’s Young Greens 30 Under […]
Litter heroes assemble at the Aquardrome
Litter heroes were out in force at Rickmansworth Aquadrome on the morning of Saturday 14th March. Local residents were invited to litter pick in a bid to keep Britain tidy. The litter pick was organised by the local Green Party as part of the Great British Spring Clean initiative which hopes to mobilise faith groups, […]
Freedom of information request shows extent of glyphosate use
A Freedom of Information request has shown that glyphosate weed killer is being used by all councils covering Abbots Langley. Below is the response to Hertfordshire County Council, Three Rivers District Council and Abbots Langley Parish Council sent by Belinda Phillips of Abbots in Transition (ALTTA). The letter is published with Belinda’s permission: Dear […]
Press release: Three Rivers District Council declare a climate emergency
On Tuesday night (21 May 2019) at its annual meeting, Three Rivers District Council declared a climate emergency. Three Rivers Green Party support this declaration. A similar climate emergency motion was proposed to Hertfordshire County Council in March 2019 but was amended by the Conservative group so that it no longer declared a climate emergency. […]
Three Rivers Green Party success in improving cycle route proposal
Three Rivers Green Party success in improving cycle route proposal In response to our comments and to wider public consultation, Herts County Council has decided to amend the Rickmansworth Ebury Roundabout Cycle Route Improvement Scheme: * By replacing the guard railing with new Visi-Rail guard railing which will improve the inter-visibility between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle […]
Record-breaking number of residents standing locally as Green candidates
Local residents have shown their dissatisfaction with the current district council by putting themselves forward as Green party candidates at the local elections on Thursday 3rd May. In a record-breaking year for Three Rivers Green Party, 8 out of the 13 seats up for election on 3rd May are being contested by residents demanding a […]