A part of Watford's "history" will not be demolished without a fight after a series of objections flooded in.
Comments have flown in on Watford Borough Council's website after plans to demolish a clock tower came to light.
An application has been submitted to bulldoze the historic Sun Clock Tower in Ascot Road, a symbol of Watford's acclaimed printing history.
The tower was built in the 1930s and was originally a pumping station, but since its closure in the 1980s, the building has been deteriorating and it could be soon gone forever.
News of the proposed demolition has whipped up a social media storm and objections flew in on the council's planning portal within a matter of hours.
The Sun Clock Tower has deteriorated over the last couple of decades or so. Credit: Google Maps
Among the objections published in the portal, the clock tower has been described as "iconic" and "prominent" a "reminder of Watford's industrial past" and a "piece of local history".
Rather than knock it down, people who have objected have called for the tower to be "preserved" and even "restored" and incorporated into any development that may happen in the area.
Councillor Nigel Bell, who represents Holywell ward which is where the tower lies, said: "It is an iconic site that many residents and their families would be upset to see demolished. I would rather see an important piece of Watford’s history properly preserved and not discarded."
Sun Clock Tower. Credit: Google Maps
Ascot Road was home to Sun Printers Ltd, and together with Odhams Press, helped put Watford on the map as the printing capital of the world.
But after Sun Printers moved away, much of the site was redeveloped into a hotel called The Rising Sun along with industrial units.
In a poll published in an Observer article on the proposed demolition, 87 per cent of respondents said they would be "sad" to see the tower demolished, while 13 per cent said it was "time for redevelopment".
The proposed demolition of the clock tower, submitted by a man called Paul Stacey, is set to be decided by a council planning officer.
The planning application can be found here.
What do you make of the plans to demolish the Sun Clock Tower? Email nathan.louis@newsquest.co.uk
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