From eWatford Observer - 8:40am Thursday 9th July 2009

Shops could be bulldozed for new road

By John Harrison »


Shops in St Albans Road could be bulldozed to make way for a new road
linking Watford Junction with the M1 motorway.
On Monday, county councillors will discuss proposals to build a new
link road, connecting Colonial Way with St Albans Road and a newly
renovated station.
They will also consider plans for the compulsory purchase of large
amounts of prime retail space.
Plans to improve road connections with the station were revealed by
the Watford Observer last February.
At present, all traffic between the M1 and Watford Junction either has
to navigate the ring-road or travel along the frequently congested A41
and St Albans Road.
Hertfordshire County Council officers say the new road would offer a
“more direct connection to the motorway system” and “alleviate
existing traffic congestion”.
However, the proposal could see seven separate landowners forced to
sell up to make way for the new road. The affected land is currently
occupied by Homebase, T K Maxx and Staples, among others.
One option under consideration would see the proposed road built as an
extension to Colonial Way, passing over the railway track and through
the Homebase car park.
The second option, however, would see the new road built directly on
top of a unit currently containing T K Maxx.
The road will also connect to a new multi-storey car park and
“interchange” to be built next to Watford Junction.
A county council report read: “Endeavours will be made, wherever
possible, to acquire the land required by negotiation.
“However, all the landowners, including those active within the master
plan will act in their best commercial interest – which may not be
consistent over time, given the current economic climate.
“It is, therefore, recommended that negotiations are supported by the
knowledge that compulsory purchase powers could be used for either
route alignment as an option to fall back on, if necessary.”
The £32.5 million project will be paid for by the Department for
Transport and Network Rail.
Watford Junction, which has been identified as a “key transport
interchange in South West Hertfordshire”, is also set to undergo a
substantial programme of refurbishments.
Plans to improve the platforms, the ticket office and forecourt are
set to be completed by late next year.
County Councillor are expected to vote in favour of a possible
compulsory purchase order. They are, however, expected to ask County
Hall officers to preferably seek to acquire the land through
negotiation.
The matter will be discussed at a meeting inside County Hall on Monday
afternoon.
………………………………..............
……………………….……….............
John Burke
WRUG

burkey wrote:
From eWatford Observer - 8:40am Thursday 9th July 2009

Shops could be bulldozed for new road

By John Harrison »

Shops in St Albans Road could be bulldozed to make way for a new road
linking Watford Junction with the M1 motorway.
On Monday, county councillors will discuss proposals to build a new
link road, connecting Colonial Way with St Albans Road and a newly
renovated station.
They will also consider plans for the compulsory purchase of large
amounts of prime retail space.
Plans to improve road connections with the station were revealed by
the Watford Observer last February.
At present, all traffic between the M1 and Watford Junction either has
to navigate the ring-road or travel along the frequently congested A41
and St Albans Road.
Hertfordshire County Council officers say the new road would offer a
“more direct connection to the motorway system” and “alleviate
existing traffic congestion”.
However, the proposal could see seven separate landowners forced to
sell up to make way for the new road. The affected land is currently
occupied by Homebase, T K Maxx and Staples, among others.
One option under consideration would see the proposed road built as an
extension to Colonial Way, passing over the railway track and through
the Homebase car park.
The second option, however, would see the new road built directly on
top of a unit currently containing T K Maxx.
The road will also connect to a new multi-storey car park and
“interchange” to be built next to Watford Junction.
A county council report read: “Endeavours will be made, wherever
possible, to acquire the land required by negotiation.
“However, all the landowners, including those active within the master
plan will act in their best commercial interest – which may not be
consistent over time, given the current economic climate.
“It is, therefore, recommended that negotiations are supported by the
knowledge that compulsory purchase powers could be used for either
route alignment as an option to fall back on, if necessary.”
The £32.5 million project will be paid for by the Department for
Transport and Network Rail.
Watford Junction, which has been identified as a “key transport
interchange in South West Hertfordshire”, is also set to undergo a
substantial programme of refurbishments.
Plans to improve the platforms, the ticket office and forecourt are
set to be completed by late next year.
County Councillor are expected to vote in favour of a possible
compulsory purchase order. They are, however, expected to ask County
Hall officers to preferably seek to acquire the land through
negotiation.
The matter will be discussed at a meeting inside County Hall on Monday
afternoon.
John Burke
WRUG


Thanks for posting this, John.

It is a bit emotive for the reporter to say "shops will be bulldozed" as
these are low rent retail sheds that could easily be relocated to other
equally or more suitable sites in the borough. We are certainly not
talking about prime retail space here, or even secondary retail!

A refurbishment of the station would be very welcome, as it is getting
very tired and tatty now. The provision of a modern, clean, secure and
well- lit multi-storey car park and, hopefully, a much better bus
interchange, will not only enhance this part of Watford, but give people
travelling to London by car a real park-and-ride option that will be
easily accessible from the M1 and M25.

It will also enable people in the catchment area to get to the station
easily, and park their cars more securely, for journeys to points north
west on the West Coast main line. By the time people have driven to
Milton Keynes, the next park-and-ride access point to the north, they
might as well stay in their cars for the whole journey. This will keep
their car journeys short and encourage rail use.

Tony Polson gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

However, the proposal could see seven separate landowners forced to sell
up to make way for the new road. The affected land is currently occupied
by Homebase, T K Maxx and Staples, among others.

It is a bit emotive for the reporter to say "shops will be bulldozed" as
these are low rent retail sheds that could easily be relocated to other
equally or more suitable sites in the borough. We are certainly not
talking about prime retail space here, or even secondary retail!

Hmm. If the perceived quality of the retail space is a factor, then
there's a significant portion of Watford outside of the Harlequin Centre
which should consider itself at high risk...

That's a reasonably decent sized stretch of large "shed"-style retail.
It's not going to be easy to find a similar area of land to repurpose to
a similar retail park. Removal of those stores won't exactly be a great
loss to the denizens of Watford - there's a TKMaxx in St Albans or
Hatfield, there's a Homebase and Staples at Apsley, or alternatives
within the big Bushey retail park, but they're all a drive away from
North Watford.

As for Park-and-Ride to London, you seem to forget Luton.

Adrian wrote:

Tony Polson gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

However, the proposal could see seven separate landowners forced to sell
up to make way for the new road. The affected land is currently occupied
by Homebase, T K Maxx and Staples, among others.

It is a bit emotive for the reporter to say "shops will be bulldozed" as
these are low rent retail sheds that could easily be relocated to other
equally or more suitable sites in the borough. We are certainly not
talking about prime retail space here, or even secondary retail!

Hmm. If the perceived quality of the retail space is a factor, then
there's a significant portion of Watford outside of the Harlequin Centre
which should consider itself at high risk...

Indeed. ;-)


That's a reasonably decent sized stretch of large "shed"-style retail.
It's not going to be easy to find a similar area of land to repurpose to
a similar retail park.


Perhaps not all in one place, I agree.


As for Park-and-Ride to London, you seem to forget Luton.


No, I didn't forget it. It is about as difficult to reach from the M1
as Watford Junction is now. When Watford Junction gets a link road
right into the station and a multi-storey car park, it will be a far
superior choice.

As for park and ride for rail trips to the north west, Luton is no use.
It's OK for Derby, Sheffield and Nottingham but the same consideration
applies as for Milton Keynes - once you have driven as far as Luton or
MK and faced the problems of getting to the car park and finding a
space, you might as well do the whole journey by car.

I have often used Bedford as a park and ride for rail journeys to Derby,
Sheffield and even Leeds, but the problems getting to Bedford on the
A421 (due to major road works) on top of the usual congestion in Bedford
mean that I now choose to drive all the way. For Leeds I have also used
Oxford and travelled on Cross Country.

In uk.transport.london Adrian wrote:
That's a reasonably decent sized stretch of large "shed"-style retail.
It's not going to be easy to find a similar area of land to repurpose to
a similar retail park. Removal of those stores won't exactly be a great
loss to the denizens of Watford - there's a TKMaxx in St Albans or
Hatfield, there's a Homebase and Staples at Apsley, or alternatives
within the big Bushey retail park, but they're all a drive away from
North Watford.

If they're building 'over the top' of TKMaxx on a flyover, perhaps they
could keep TKMaxx underneath? Businesses in railway arches are a fairly
common phenomenon, so how about some road arches? Noise could be a problem,
but perhaps not if well designed. Or, as they do in Asda, just play loud
music to give the customers and staff a headache and distract them from the
road noise.

Theo

Shame they're missing the opportunity to add the sorely-missing
flyover/under to link the DC lines with the St. Albans Abbey branch.
Handing that line over to LO would do wonders for the service, which
would then get more people actually using it.

"Jamie Thompson" wrote in message

Shame they're missing the opportunity to add the sorely-missing
flyover/under to link the DC lines with the St. Albans Abbey branch.
Handing that line over to LO would do wonders for the service, which
would then get more people actually using it.

But it's well outside London.

"Jamie Thompson" wrote in message
...
Shame they're missing the opportunity to add the sorely-missing
flyover/under to link the DC lines with the St. Albans Abbey branch.
Handing that line over to LO would do wonders for the service, which
would then get more people actually using it.

It's single track with, AIUI, no crossing loop. So without double track, or
at least a crossing loop, you can't increase the frequency (end-to-end
journey time of 16 minutes, and a round trip generally every 45 minutes}.

Peter

"Recliner" wrote:
"Jamie Thompson" wrote in message

Shame they're missing the opportunity to add the sorely-missing
flyover/under to link the DC lines with the St. Albans Abbey branch.
Handing that line over to LO would do wonders for the service, which
would then get more people actually using it.

But it's well outside London.


It's typical uk.railway: if a service is sparsely used, costing the
taxpayer a lot of money per passenger-journey or passenger-km (take your
pick!) the trainspotters' answer is always the same:

"Let's throw good money after bad, build a hugely expensive
flyover/flyunder, lease some more very expensive rolling stock and pay
even more in track access charges and staff costs!"

All this for a very small number of passengers. The result? A marginal
increase in ridership (at best) and a further huge increase in the
already very high subsidy. As usual, a complete and utter waste of
taxpayers' money.

The reason the line is very little used is that the vast majority of
demand for rail services from St Albans is to/from London. That demand
is already being satisfied by Thameslink, and Thameslink capacity is
getting a huge boost for the future because that is where people
actually want to travel.

The St Albans Abbey to Watford Junction branch could more usefully be
replaced by a bus service which would better serve intermediate
communities between St Albans and Watford Town Centre and also serve
Watford town centre rather than Watford Junction, which is very poorly
situated relative to the centre of Watford. Yes, you can change trains
to the DC lines at Watford Junction and go to Watford High Street
instead, but that makes for a significant increase in average journey
time.

Tony Polson wrote:
"Recliner" wrote:
"Jamie Thompson" wrote in message

Shame they're missing the opportunity to add the sorely-missing
flyover/under to link the DC lines with the St. Albans Abbey branch.
Handing that line over to LO would do wonders for the service, which
would then get more people actually using it.
But it's well outside London.


It's typical uk.railway: if a service is sparsely used, costing the
taxpayer a lot of money per passenger-journey or passenger-km (take your
pick!) the trainspotters' answer is always the same:

Well, yes. Trainspotters want more trains. If they wanted buses or
guided hovercraft, they wouldn't be trainspotters.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK