Thames Water has now established a Rye Meads Steering Group, bringing together representatives from local government, regional and conservation organisations, and community organisations including The Hoddesdon Society.
The first meeting is due to take place on Monday.
It is now around six weeks since our public meeting, where Thames Water publicly confirmed its intention to keep Rye Meads open with public access after the RSPB withdraws in less than two weeks.
That commitment was hugely important. Yet we are still no closer to understanding exactly what “open to the public” will mean in practice.
There are significant questions still to be answered about the future model of access, who will manage the reserve day to day, what will happen to the visitor centre and facilities, how existing volunteers will be involved, and what the transition will look like when the RSPB leaves.
The Hoddesdon Society’s position is very clear.
We will not accept a model that falls short of the public access that was promised.
We will not support arrangements that create unnecessary barriers to access or make Rye Meads less accessible to the people and communities who currently use it.
And we will continue to insist that any future management model provides the highest level of active protection for this SSSI and internationally important wetland, its wildlife, habitats and infrastructure.
The campaign to Save Rye Meads was never simply about keeping it's gate unlocked. It has always been about securing a meaningful, accessible and properly protected future for the reserve.
More than 63,000 people have now backed that campaign. That public voice helped get us to this point, and we will be taking it with us into the Steering Group.
Monday’s meeting is an important next step, but it is not the end of the campaign.
Please keep sharing the petition, talking about Rye Meads and following our updates. The strength of public support has already made a difference, and it remains vital while the future of the reserve is being decided.
We will report back after the meeting and continue pushing for the clarity and commitments this community deserves.
Rye Meads must remain open, accessible and protected.