Martin served as a district councillor since 1986 Chorleywood South and Maple Cross following ward boundary changes He stood down from service before the 2023 local election due to ill health and then became Vice-Chair of the district council in 2020/21 he spearheaded a project to convert an unused listed Met box in Chorleywood station into a museum for the community was the district councillor for Hayling ward in the 1980s She sadly passed away after a short illness said: “On behalf of the council and councillors I would like to send my deepest condolences to Martin’s and Barbara’s friends and family “Martin once said that standing down from his seat was ‘the saddest day of his life’ He always put his service to the public first over himself and clearly loved being the voice of his community until the very end “We will miss Martin’s heart of gold and his humour I am sure the people of Chorleywood and further afield will miss him too and remember his legacy for generations to come “I would also like to pay tribute to Barbara for her hard work as a councillor and for being a force for the residents of Hayling in South Oxhey and she will be missed by her constituents.” said: “I was devastated on hearing the sad news of Martin Trevett passing away Martin was a dear friend and a close colleague for many years; we both represented Chorleywood South and Maple Cross “Martin was an outstanding councillor for 37 years who dedicated his life to serve the residents A great loss for the community he was proud to represent.” but my very first political involvement was delivering leaflets for Martin around Chorleywood with my dad as a child While our ultimate choice of political parties differed it was clear to me then - and even clearer now - that Martin was beloved by our community was a reminder of his love for Chorleywood in return His spirit of public service has been an example to so many of us and I hope it continues to be." said: “I and the other Labour councillors were sad to learn of Martin's passing We all knew him well and he was always very amiable “He served residents with distinction and tenacity over many years Our sincere condolences to his friends and family and she represented the old Hayling Ward in South Oxhey with distinction between 1984 and 1988,” Cllr Cox added “I believe her mother was a councillor before her Barbara was a pretty indomitable character and fought tenaciously for South Oxhey “She would always help on election day taking numbers You could always pop round for her signature on a nomination paper “The thoughts of the Labour Group are with Barbara's friends and family.” Cllr Chris Mitchell and The Green Party Team said: “We want to thank Martin and his family for all the work and effort eh put into serving the residents of Three Rivers He was someone who put a lot of his life into the service of residents and he will be remembered for that They added: “We wish to pass our condolences to the family of Babara Woolner and to thank her for the time she served as a councillor and that is respected in serving the local residents.” Chorleywood South and Maple Cross Cllr Louise Price said: "I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Martin Trevett He served Chorleywood and Maple Cross as a dedicated councillor for many decades ward member for Chorleywood South and Maple Cross said: “I was a fellow Chorleywood councillor with Martin for many years and knew Martin from my first residing in Chorleywood 26 years ago I soon appreciated Martin’s tremendous commitment to the community and the many hours he spent every week helping to resolve issues raised by residents Accessibility Statement To access services provided by central government departments and agencies, visit the GOV.UK website Copyright © Three Rivers District Council 2024   |   Headless Content Management with Blaze Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Exclusive: The grade II-listed eight-bedroom house went up in flames months after police busted a gang using it to grow cannabis. Alexander Butler reports I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Built over 100 years ago for Oscar Wilde’s theatre producer, grade II-listed grand country home The Court once stood proudly at the heart of Chorleywood in Hertfordshire But the £3m eight-bedroom mansion was left a charred and smouldering ruin on Sunday morning after a mysterious fire ripped through it overnight. Six fire engines rushed to the 3.5-acre estate at 12.13am, where 24 firefighters tackled towering flames with nearby pond water for around five hours. The tragedy was just the latest development in the “strange” and “sad” destruction of the house, residents of the well-to-do civil parish told The Independent. Neighbour Phil Hayes, 57, said: “The fire came as a complete shock. It was about 1 o’clock in the morning when we saw the flames. Were you affected by the fire? Contact alexander.butler@independent.co.uk “It seems to be the last chapter in the building’s sad demise. It has fallen into disrepair over the years.” The Court was built in 1911 for Sir George Alexander, an actor who produced Wilde’s world-renowned play, The Importance of Being Earnest. The Irish-born playwright wrote a 16-page hand-written letter to Sir George in 1894 trying to sell him the play for £150, which is worth around £25k today. Around 60 years after this, Fay Caplin, a “generous and welcoming” woman, moved in with her husband Robert Caplin shortly after marrying him in 1954. Mrs Caplin lived on the grounds, equipped with a swimming pool and summerhouse, until her death aged 91 in 2022. A village newsletter dubbed her the “heart of the community” and said she would often “throw open her beautiful home” to neighbours, hosting garden parties and dinners. Two years after she died, The Court sat empty and in disrepair when it was bought by 43-year-old property developer Tarun Agrawal after he “fell in love” with it. Mr Agrawal has never lived in the property. But only months afterwards, police helicopters and scores of officers busted and deported an elusive gang using the Tudor-style home as a cannabis farm. Miss Campbell, who lives in a row of former almshouses opposite the estate, said the blaze had left her searching for answers. “It is all very strange,” she told The Independent. “I heard something about a cannabis farm being set up there. And now it has just gone up in flames.” Mr Agrawal told The Independent he did not know the cannabis farmers, had never lived in the property, and had tried to install a wall around his tree-lined garden to protect the estate. “We live locally and loved the property. It had beautiful character and history. I fell in love with it,” he said. “My friend said I should forget about my house and move in as soon as I could. We wanted to build the wall to protect it. But the council did not let us.” He applied to build a two-metre-high brick wall around his property in June 2024, but it was refused by Three Rivers District Council. The council said the proposed wall would have a “negative impact” on mature trees surrounding the property, which backed on to Chorleywood Common. Chorleywood ward councillor Philip Hearn said he was “shocked and upset” by the fire and called for the house to be rebuilt. “I am shocked and upset by this. We’ll be working to ensure the cause of the fire is fully investigated,” he said. “A fire does not automatically remove the listing of a property and while too early to know the exact cause, the starting point should be for the property to be fully restored.” A Hertfordshire Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at 12.20am on Sunday 9 February by the fire service to reports of a fire at a derelict property on Rickmansworth Road, Chorleywood. “A number of road closures were put in place and emergency services remain at the scene. “Investigations with colleagues in the fire service are taking place to establish the cause of the fire.” A Three Rivers Council spokesperson added: “Officers at Three Rivers District Council are assisting Hertfordshire Constabulary in its ongoing investigation following a fire at a vacant property in Rickmansworth Road, Chorleywood, in the early hours of Sunday morning.” Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies govt and politics"},{"score":0.646881,"label":"/law The event is being run by Three Rivers District Council with the support from Stork and the Bees nappy and sling library Stork and the Bees provide information and support on reusable nappies as well as renting out these items for parents to try before they buy The clothing and items can be for babies from newborns up to the age of 24 months Each family can bring a maximum of 20 items Any clothing not taken during the swap will be donated to local charities or sent for textiles recycling along with other textiles collected across Three Rivers to be shredded and reused The UK throws away nearly a tonne of clothing every minute and the textile industry contributes 10% of global carbon emissions and is the world’s second largest industrial polluter The baby clothing swap will take place at the Chorleywood Library on Monday 23 September from 11am to 11:30am Clothes can also be dropped off during open hours the week before the swap Families can get there an hour early to take part in a baby rhyme time at 10:30am