Watford Borough Council has hinted at proposals to spends hundreds of thousands of pounds improving the look and feel of town centre streets.

Following the completion of a £2 million renovation of Watford High Street in 2018, the council now looks to be focusing on investment elsewhere in the town.

According to financial documents published within the council's new budget setting, the council wants to spruce up Market Street and Queens Road, bringing the streets in line with other improvements.

The plans are part of a number of new capital projects announced by the council in this year's budget.

High Street improvements in Watford town centre completed two years ago

High Street improvements in Watford town centre completed two years ago

High Street improvements which coincided with the extension of intu Watford

High Street improvements which coincided with the extension of intu Watford

Timeframes and how some of the projects will be financed is not totally clear at this stage, but the council is looking at investing £500,000 into Market Street between the high street and the ring road, and a further £450,000 into the other end of Market Street, home to a number of restaurants, hairdressers, and more.

Watford Observer:

This section of Market Street is also earmarked for investment

The projects in Market Street are designed to improve the look and feel of the area and the council wants the street to be "comparable to the existing improvements throughout the town centre".

The other street in the town centre in like for investment is Queens Road, specifically the High Street end, which runs alongside Primark at intu Watford.

The council is looking at spending more than £300,000 here, with the project to be funded from parking reserves when it has recovered from the Covid pandemic.

The other end of Queens Road has planning permission for improvement works near The Broadway as part of intu's scheme to introduce automatic doors at Queens Road.

Away from the town centre, a section of St Albans Road in North Watford has been undergoing refurbishment at a cost of £400,000.

The aim is to create a new spacious community environment to make the street more vibrant for shoppers and people passing through.

Watford mayor Peter Taylor pictured by a sign outining the ongoing improvements for St Albans Road

Watford mayor Peter Taylor pictured by a sign outining the ongoing improvements for St Albans Road

The focus of that scheme has been between Brixton Road and Balmoral Road, but the financial documents reveal phase 2 of the St Albans Road project will focus on the section between Lowestoft Road and Langley Road, at a cost of around £300,000.

Meanwhile, the £10m renovation of Clarendon Road continues, which the council says looks to improve accessibility, lighting, connectivity, pedestrian and cycle facilities, and street layout and act as a new "gateway" to the town centre.

The programme is supported by £5.1m investment from Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, along with £5m from Watford Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council, with contributions from local developers and support from Watford Business Improvement District.