Support Croxley Green Parish Council to stop the development of the Red Cross Centre

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?"