Innovation Spotlight
Instilling Pride in Place and Creating Prosperity
Watford Borough Council: Watford Town Hall Quarter Project
The project
The Watford Town Hall Quarter is a regeneration project as part of a multi-faceted programme with the Town Hall at its heart. It will create jobs, enhance the town’s heritage and business offering, boost creative opportunities for entertainment, and contribute to achieving a greener, more sustainable town.
The Town Hall will be transformed into an energy efficient hub, home to an exciting number of new communities, cultural and business uses. Space will be created to incorporate Watford Museum and associated retail space and café. Additional space will be provided for entrepreneurs and start-ups helping to increase local job opportunities and cultural organisations and charities.
The adjacent council owned events venue, The Colosseum, will be refurbished to be more energy efficient. The public realm will also be enhanced with a new piazza for the public within a neighbourhood bringing vibrancy to a neglected area of the town. The project is delivered as a joint venture with Mace Develop.
The benefits
The project will deliver the following benefits:
- Energy efficiency and building improvements to improve environmental impact, leading to reduced running costs for council owned buildings.
- Temporary workspace designed with staff to deliver agile working.
- The regeneration is expected to create £200 million of investment in the wider areas anchoring the entire north end of Watford High Street.
- Watford’s resident community will ultimately benefit from a Town Hall, Colosseum and public realm space that they can access and enjoy in a range of different ways.
- The enhanced cultural offering via the Colosseum and relocated museum will stimulate local creativity as well as attracting new visitors to Watford bringing prosperity to the town centre economy.
- New businesses and start-ups will have location opportunities right in the heart of Watford that will generate new employment opportunities
- Energy efficiency refurbishments of both the Town Hall and the Colosseum will help the council meet its commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030 and will provide great case studies that local businesses can emulate
