News on Watford

Residents’ views sought on future of Watford town centre

25 November 2021

Watford Borough Council has launched a public engagement on how we design Watford town centre for the future. Residents and key groups are being asked to share their views and ideas which will then be used to create a design guide for the town centre.

Following the covid pandemic and the major switch to online shopping, high streets and town centres across the UK must once again change and adapt for a new future. Watford town centre is a lively, well used and resilient place, and the council wants to make sure that it continues to grow and thrive.

At a launch event last night, Peter Taylor, Elected Mayor, opened a discussion meeting led by experts in urban planning with a range of town centre stakeholders including the police, Watford BID, Atria, property owners and elected members. He said “Watford is no ordinary town. Latest statistics show we are one of the top 10 places in the country for retail bouncing back from the pandemic. Watford is already a very successful place, with regional, national and international reach; and we are seeing steady investment, despite the health and economic challenges of recent times. However, high streets and town centres must continue to change and adapt for a new future. We want to have open and honest conversations about this with residents and stakeholders about how Watford town centre will change over the next 20 years”.

Over the coming weeks a number of public meetings and events will take place with a range of groups and organisations in the town.

The council is also working with WHC students to create an urban room in the town centre with an interactive exhibition space, where people can come together to discuss the future of the town centre and post their comments.

All residents will be encouraged to go online to our engagement platform Commonplace and express their views. Whatever the idea is - be it new green spaces, more town centre homes, more focus on pedestrians, more civic spaces and art, better accessibility, more independent retailers or sustainable modes of transport - the council and the community wants to hear it.

Cllr Stephen Johnson, Portfolio Holder for Planning, Property and Housing said

“We need to think beyond single sectors, such as retail and office, and towards making the town centre a hub for a range of activities and uses, for residents and visitors alike. Please tell us what makes Watford town centre special for you and what would make it even better. Together we will lay the foundations for the flourishing Watford town centre of tomorrow!”

A report on the key themes that emerge from the engagement will be published in the Spring, followed by the design guide, which will set out the parameters for how the town centre evolves over the next 20 years.

The engagement runs for 10 weeks until Friday 4 February.

Please share your ideas with us and tell us what’s important to you at https://watford.commonplace.is/

*Panel experts incl:

Sherry Dobbin, Partner, Managing and Cultural Director, Futurecity Ltd

Stephen O’Malley, Founding Director, Civic Engineers

Thomas Bryans, Director, IF_DO

Max Farrell, Founder and CEO, LDN Collective