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The 'Big Watford Conversation', a survey to give local people the chance to share their views and experiences of the town, as well as their thoughts and ideas about Watford’s future has been launched.

Whether it's the town’s 17 green flag parks and other green spaces, local jobs and employment opportunities, or the availability of good quality housing, the council is keen to understand what matters most to residents. By taking part in the 'Big Watford Conversation,' people can actively contribute to shaping the future of their town.

To say ‘thank you’ for taking part, the council is offering five £30 Watford Gift Vouchers as part of a prize draw. Residents who wish to be entered into the draw just need to give their contact details at the end of the survey, with winners selected randomly. The survey deadline is 25 August.

Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “As Mayor, I am committed to making our town a vibrant and successful place to live, work, visit, and run a business. This can only be done by listening to residents and working together to make changes. That is why we are launching the ‘Big Watford Conversation’.”

“To be a successful town in the decades to come, we need to make decisions now so that we can create a town that future generations of residents and business are proud to call home. Your voice matters, and I encourage you to complete this questionnaire and share your thoughts before 25 August.”

Deputy Mayor of Watford and Portfolio Holder for Community, Councillor Aga Dychton, said: “Your voice, your town, your future! Engage in the 'Big Watford Conversation' and feedback your experiences, opinions, and suggestions on topics like green spaces, thriving job opportunities, or quality housing, to support the council's efforts to enhance Watford. Your perspective matters and every piece of insight is important for the future of our town.”

We really appreciated the great response to our consultation on Watford Town Centre, and thought you might be interested in another consultation that we’re running at the moment.

Watford Borough Council is currently in a consultation period for our Climate Change & Ecological Emergency Strategy. This is the draft version of the document that will guide climate policy in Watford for the next seven years up to 2030.

For anyone with any thoughts about how to tackle climate change in Watford, this is a great opportunity to see what we’re planning and also have your say. We’re really hoping to get as many responses as possible, and any feedback that we get will be carefully considered in the creation of the final document early next year.

Would you be able to help out and distribute the consultation link to your staff, or anyone else you think might be interested, via any channels that you have available? It would be much appreciated by us at the council and obviously a great help in formulating an effective and responsible climate policy.

It's the last day to let us know how you would like the town centre to evolve and grow in the future, with feedback wanted on the draft proposals such as greener landscaping and improved public spaces.

Following the public engagement last year, where hundreds of residents and key groups were asked to share their views and ideas, a draft design framework has now been created for the town centre for people to comment on. This includes ideas such as more focus on pedestrians, better accessibility, more independent retailers and sustainable modes of transport.

The Place Shaping and Planning Policy team will be in the Urban Room (15-17 Queens Road - the old Santander opposite Primark) on Friday 21 October and Friday 4 November, with both drop-in sessions from 11am to 2pm. People can find out about the draft design framework that has now been created for the town centre for people to comment on. This includes ideas such as more focus on pedestrians, better accessibility, more independent retailers and sustainable modes of transport.

The council is again asking for opinions from residents on how they would like the town centre to evolve and grow in the future, with feedback now wanted on the draft proposals such as greener landscaping and improved public spaces.

On Thursday 3rd March the Watford Urban Room was the setting for a lively discussion about how we can ensure quality housing in Watford Town Centre. We were joined by development experts Neil Murphy (Director, TOWN), Roland Karthaus (Director, Matter Architecture and National High Streets Task Force expert) and Cany Ash (Partner, Ash Sakula Architects) to explore questions about density, height and car parking. You can see their presentations here.

Roland Karthaus showed us how Waltham Forest Council is integrating new housing development behind Walthamstow High St with commercial uses, connecting it with public spaces and helping to reactivate the High St. He said: “the richness of a place is a combination of its history, the people and the activities that happen in the public space.”

Neil Murphy is working with Milton Keynes Council to redevelop Wolverton town centre, with a mixture of residential and commercial uses, including affordable and social rented housing. In their public consultation, people were encouraged to experiment with building forms using wooden blocks. They quickly discovered that including loads of parking meant increasing height, and this was out of character with the surrounding conservation area.

Cany Ash showed a video of Ash Sakula’s award-winning development in the Malings, Newcastle. The development was limited to four and six storeys, thereby eliminating lift, concierge and associated management costs, and included lots of balconies, roof terraces and communal space, creating a real sense of community.

There was broad agreement on a number of issues:

The relationship of homes to the street and surrounding environment is really important. This gets lost as buildings get higher, particularly if there is lots of parking. In Watford, we want to connect the Town Centre to Cassiobury Park and the Colne River.

Retail units at ground floor level may take a while to let, but it’s usually worth the wait: in the Malings development they now have a very successful bakery and ice cream shop.

Better quality development can be achieved by bringing more certainty into the planning system, through clear design guidelines.

New housing development should consider the overall vision of Watford Town Centre: if we want to retain and enhance the character of the town, developers will need to be more creative about the form of new housing and how it relates to the public realm.

We need to make sure that housing is affordable for local residents: there is often a perceived trade-off between quality and affordability.

Is there an opportunity for shared energy systems in new housing developments in the Town Centre?

Are there opportunities for creativity and innovation in the use of more sustainable materials and non-traditional methods of construction?

Who should we be building homes for? What should they look like?

Do we really need parking in the town centre?

How do we define social infrastructure in Watford? Does it work well? Can we improve it?

How can new developments help build a strong social infrastructure?

We have two events coming up where we will be discussing key issues about Watford town centre, and we would like you to join our panels to contribute to the debate.