A petition calling for support for shop owners and residents on the Meriden Estate in Garston has been presented to Watford Borough Council (WBC).
Following the redevelopment of the estate in recent years, concerns have continued over ongoing issues with both the shops and homes.
Shop owners in The Gossamers were forced to temporarily close their premises for several months during the regeneration of the estate, before they were able to move into the newly built shops in York Way.
However, even after the reopening, problems persisted.
In February 2024, residents of the newly built Cygnet House and Plover House, which stand above a row of shops, were given just nine days to leave their homes after structural issues were identified.
The petition was presented to WBC at a Full Council meeting on Tuesday, July 15.
The petition reads: “Watford Community Housing (WCH) botched the project management involved in transferring shops to York Way. Their slapdash approach resulted in sub-standard home units and compromised retail units. We demand that WBC… intervene with WCH to rectify all the faults that took place during the construction phases.
“Instead of threatening retail premises with bailiffs, WCH should be paying them ample compensation for landing them with below-par units.”
Speaking at the meeting, Elected Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said: “I know that residents and business owners have endured too much disruption as part of WCH’s redevelopment. They have much to be angry about, a catalogue of failings and delays.”
A spokesperson for WCH said: “We are committed to supporting our local communities and we have worked closely with retailers at the Meriden to assist them throughout the construction process. As part of this, we adapted the works programme to keep disruption to a minimum and ensure that retailers could continue to operate. We have also addressed concerns around individuals parking illegally and unsafely by creating new dedicated parking areas.
“We remain in direct dialogue with retailers, and this includes taking a reasonable approach to compensation for the impact of the additional works that are being carried out. However, it is appropriate for us to consider action against any business that hasn’t paid its rent, as our priority is providing affordable homes and we do not believe that our customers’ rent should go towards subsidising commercial businesses.”
View the petition at www.shorturl.at/CUpEn
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