Rickmansworth Aquadrome – invitation to view proposed concept designs

Please refer to page 12, section 2.3 of the document.

Please refer to pages 14 and 15, section 2.5 of the document.

The emerging concept masterplan (page 25 of the document) develops a number of enhancements to the visitor experience at Rickmansworth Aquadrome. The key features with a brief description and reference page are highlighted below:

Visitor hub – page 42, section 5.8

• This meet and greet place offers a community core and social heart of the Aquadrome. A lively, communal destination combining play, seating, meeting and movement. It serves as a central hub with a site map and information boards from which to explore the Aquadrome. It will include a variety of furniture and seating to support both individual and social use, including communal tables and seating edges, and multifunctional gabion elements that evoke nature & industrial heritage.

Bury Point – Page 43, section 5.9

• A new area is planned to be created that offers a calm, tranquil and reflective place that balances designed elements with nature. The space frames Bury Lake views, uses a limited, simple material palette and offers opportunities for personal pause. It should foster a sense of prospect and refuge, with open views across the water and a semi-open shelter, prioritising places to dwell, contemplate and remember.

Natural Play and Discovery zone – Page 44, section 5.10

• Building on an existing nature play feature, this will become a nature-themed, immersive play landscape with educational value that celebrates topography and planting. Storytelling of the Aquadrome’s natural and cultural heritage is expressed through a playable landscape, encouraging curiosity and stewardship. The space will include natural and incidental play elements that promote movement and interaction with nature (e.g. small landforms, timber trails, stepping features).

Meadow - page 33 illustration and page 24 and 30

• Leaving the car park and café behind, as you walk towards both lakes, the area on the right will become a gently undulating floodplain landscape that balances water storage with ecology, new habitat creation and everyday access and amenity. Broad grass swathes and wildflower meadow offer informal recreation, picnicking and quiet dwelling with long views across the lakes. A potential heritage-informed sculptural marker anchors the centre of the Site, acting as a landmark and meeting point.

Dog enrichment area - page 24 and 30

• A new area, providing a secure off-lead zone with simple timber agility elements, seating and bins to support longer stays and positive social interaction. The masterplan is exploring co-locating this near the Natural Play and Discovery Zone to minimise new fencing and visual clutter within a sensitive and scenic setting. clearly identified off-lead area within the mature woodland setting. Designs include discreet boundaries and clear etiquette signage support safety. Native or naturalised planting buffers protect sensitive habitats, reducing conflicts while retaining a natural, low-key character.

Page 31, figure 17

The woodland walk design reflects the outcomes of the hydro study and ecological baseline (2024) and includes raised boardwalks above wetter ground with short sections of retained/improved sealed surfaces in drier areas. The design includes occasional resting spots along the woodland walk with seating.

The pinetum will provide an inclusive access via a raised boardwalk that will remain open during flood events. The boardwalk will widen at intervals for seating and will include information boards celebrating the natural heritage of the area.

Raise the path between Bury Lake and Stocker’s Lake to maintain year-round, step-free access. Replace eroded viewpoints with robust rest platforms and new seating, taking cues from recent fishing platforms but focused on respite rather than angling, alongside sympathetic bank restoration around all of both lakes.

Restore a more natural flow regime, improve water quality and fish passage, and reduce maintenance requirements. Bank repairs and in-channel features will stabilise edges and enhance habitat complexity. Tree thinning and removal will occur during the project to de-shade the channel and improve the chalk stream.

Through the life of this project, there will be significant enhancements to the lake banks. This will include tree thinning and removal to allow light to reach the habitats below, encourage marginal vegetation to thrive and mitigate future erosion.

An arts trail celebrating the water, natural, and industrial elements of the Aquadrome will be sympathetically integrated within the nature reserve. The trail will be threaded from the Visitor Hub through to the Woodland Walk, gently observing the site’s textures, light, and canopy through site‑specific sculptures, carvings, and subtle sound pieces that tell Aquadrome narratives. Etched waymarkers, discreet listening posts, and QR prompts will encourage pause, reflection, and playful interaction at curated locations.

The aim of the trail is to encourage visitors to look up and down into the surrounding landscape, taking in all of its rich layers, from the ground flora to the treetops.

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• understand who is taking part in the survey
• make sure the views we collect reflect the whole community
• ensure that no group is unfairly excluded

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