Designing Watford Town Centre for the Future
Community engagement to support the development of a strategic framework governing the development of Watford town centre
New Practice were appointed by Watford Borough Council as engagement consultants, supporting a multi-disciplinary team led by architects Maccreanor Lavington, as part of the development of the Watford Town Centre Strategic Framework.
Watford Borough Council has prepared a new draft Local Plan which sets out a vision and strategy for Watford up to 2036. Watford Town Centre is one of three Strategic Development Areas making up the Borough’s Core Development Area, where significant revitalisation and transformative change are expected to bring new investment into the town.
The Town Centre has an established character and a range of redevelopment opportunities identified in the Local Plan reflect the evolving nature of the area. To support the delivery of new development that will enhance the Town Centre, the Council is proposing to develop a Watford Town Centre Strategic Framework to establish more detailed principles and design parameters for development, including application of low carbon/circular economy principles.
New Practice were appointed to lead on public and stakeholder engagement to ensure that the voices of local people were embedded within this framework.
Over six months, a wide range of tools and approaches were developed to better understand peoples’ perceptions of the Town Centre currently, and identify priorities for future development. Given the ongoing challenges of Covid-19, this engagement programme was developed as a mixed-methods approach that included digital, remote and in-person activities.
Central to the digital approach was the use of Commonplace, a novel community engagement platform, which embed surveys and mapping exercises within a responsive website format. New Practice worked to develop the content, graphics and survey tools to be included in this platform, working reactively with the development team to ensure that the published tool met the needs of the project.
Central to the digital approach was the use of Commonplace, a novel community engagement platform, which embed surveys and mapping exercises within a responsive website format. New Practice worked to develop the content, graphics and survey tools to be included in this platform, working reactively with the development team to ensure that the published tool met the needs of the project.
To support this central public engagement tool, New Practice worked with WBC’s comms department to develop and deliver a comprehensive communications and promotional strategy, aimed at ensuring high levels of participant in the project. This included deployment of print and digital media advertisement, as well as extensive digital billboard communication in the Town Centre.
A key objective of the commission was ensuring participation from a representative range of local people, including communities traditionally underrepresented in decision making around the development of the built environment. New Practice supported the work of WBC in promoting opportunities to participate across marginalised, low income and youth communities.
The engagement programme was highly reactive to opportunities to deliver innovative activities that supported this aim. One element of this flexible approach was the establishment of Watford’s first Urban Room - a publicly accessible space for the display of information and discussion on the future development of the town.
New Practice led the development of this space. We worked with students at West Herts College, through a creative brief to develop the concept for a flexible exhibition space. College staff supported Architecture and Interior Design students to explore design approaches through a four week long course, with three leading designs awarded prizes. These designs were used to influence the final installation. Making use of a range of salvaged materials, a flexible space was established to host a range of events linked to the Town Centre Strategic Framework.
Client: Watford Borough Council
Location: Watford, UK
Completion: 2022
Collaborators: Maccreanor Lavington