Croxley Green British Red Cross site's future in doubt

The British Red Cross centre in Barton Way, Croxley Green, has been largely out of use since 2019 after the charity stopped using it because a review found it was “too large for our needs” and required “a considerable amount of resource” to manage hiring it out.

Its future has since been in doubt, with discussions held over potentially turning it into new Croxley Green Parish Council offices or redeveloping it completely. Both options include a community space.

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Yesterday (March 19), Three Rivers District Council and Croxley Green Parish Council each shared updates.

According to the district council, The British Red Cross wants to surrender its lease and a final agreement on this is understood to be likely within the next few days or weeks. If it does, it will revert back to Three Rivers in its entirety.

The authority is therefore considering the building's future and how it will balance the need for community space, the future of the Welcome Club  - which currently uses the site once a week - and “potential additional use for much-needed local affordable housing”.

The current plan is to demolish and rebuild it as a three-floor building with nine social affordable homes upstairs while maintaining a “modern” community space on the ground floor.

However, after previously launching a petition to stop the redevelopment, the parish council made an expression of interest in purchasing the site to use it as a new parish office and community site at the end of January this year.

In response, Three Rivers has highlighted that it is obliged to act in council taxpayers’ interests and secure the best value of any asset, but acknowledged it “may be prepared to consider an appropriate financial offer from the parish that reflects the market value of the site”.

The British Red Cross centre in Barton Way, Croxley Green. (Image: Three Rivers District Council)

If the lease was assigned to the parish council by the Red Cross, the original lease terms would still need to be followed and the British Red Cross would remain ultimately liable for it until 2065.

In its own statement, Croxley Green Parish Council said that it has undertaken an independent valuation of the site and “will continue to follow required internal processes, and work with TRDC to ensure we have all the required information before submitting an official offer”.

The district council is apparently planning to hold a public engagement in May to consider any proposals, once the lease is surrendered.

Alongside the Welcome Club use, which is stipulated in the lease and therefore continued when other activity ceased, the site is also used by the Red Cross to store and provide mobility aids.

If the Welcome Club does have to move, the district council has offered to assist it in finding a new home where it will provided for. Potential options apparently include Croxley Green Community Centre and All Saints Church.