Opinion, Watford Observer, 9 March 2025: Liberal Democrats under fire for Watford 'over development' | Watford Observer
So another tall ‘Taylor’ Tower for Watford has been approved.
The council decided on Tuesday that a 23-storey block of flats, similar in size to the new Clarendon building just up the road, can be built on the old police station site near Clarendon Road.
This chain of ‘Taylor’ Towers from Watford High Street to St Albans Road is not happening by accident.
It is set out in the official ‘Watford Local Plan’ pushed through by the Liberal Democrats in their all but one-party state (they now have 31 out of 37 councillors) as part of the ‘Watford Gateway’ concept. Have you heard of it? They keep so quiet about it all that it is hard to avoid the suspicion they are deliberately covering up their own policy.
And before they try to blame central government mandatory targets for housing (tragically reimposed by the new Labour government after they were scrapped by the last Conservative government) much of this over-development is theoretically planned for offices. There are no central targets for offices. This is a Liberal Democrat choice.
Over-development in Watford is Liberal Democrat policy.
Finally though, credit where credit is due. There are some issues, particularly in international affairs, that transcend party politics.
Britain has played a historic central role in developing the community of democracies we call the West, especially through NATO. It is going through a difficult period at the moment with differences of opinion on ending the war in Ukraine, a heroic state on the frontline in the defence of freedom.
The Prime Minister is right to avoid rhetorical over-reaction and to work calmly as a bridge across the Atlantic. It is in the interests of all of us in Watford and across the nation that this approach succeeds.
Stephen Woodard
Chairman, Watford Conservatives