Watford Mencap to move into former Nascot Lawn respite centre

The charity, which provides services to hundreds of children, young people, and adults with learning disabilities, will move into the site in Langley Road later this year, once refurbishment works have been completed.

The Nascot Lawn building has been empty ever since the respite centre closed, despite a campaign from parents to save it, which went all the way to the High Court.

But two years on, Watford Mencap has announced the building will be brought back into use, providing daily support for service users and specialist activity space.

The facility will provide a new home for the charity, which is currently based at the LeMarie centre in St Albans Road.

LeMarie Centre in St Albans Road near Asda

Roger Jones, chairman at Watford Mencap, said: "Watford Mencap provides services to around 800 local children, young people and adults who have a learning disability and their families and carers each year.

"The new facility in the heart of the Watford community provides a permanent home from which our caring and experienced teams will be able to support people to live the lives they want for themselves.

"We are grateful to Watford Borough Council for helping us to secure this wonderful building which will be a hive of activity, offering an exciting and growing range of opportunities that encourage and inspire people for generations to come."

The charity has completed the purchase of the building, with the support of the council, with the deal completed on April 1.

The council says, as a public sector organisation, it was able to negotiate the purchase of 92a Langley Road (Nascot Lawn) from Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, the previous owners, before it was marketed for sale on the open commercial market.

Once this purchase was complete, the council simultaneously completed an agreement with Watford Mencap to pass the property directly to them in a back-to-back, not for profit transaction.

Watford Mencap's new home. Credit: Stephen Danzig/Watford Observer Camera Club

Watford mayor Peter Taylor said: "The council is delighted to have helped Watford Mencap find a new home in the town that offers them so much potential. They are a wonderful charity that has been serving some of the most vulnerable members of our community for 70 years.

"They are a real beacon for hope and demonstrate what makes Watford such a special place. The new home marks the start of an exciting future for the charity, providing scope for more facilities and services and offering a hub for similar activities run by other groups and organisations."

A Watford Mencap banner outside the former respite centre. Credit: Stephen Danzig/Watford Observer Camera Club

Elliot Howard-Jones, chief executive of Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, said: "We are pleased an alternative use has been found for this building and that local residents will soon be able to participate in the services provided by Mencap."

The building will also be available to use by other community groups, charities, and families.

A planning application has been submitted to refurbish the former respite centre, with work expected to take six months.

The councils says Mencap's move will "free up" the LeMarie centre, which it owns, and the council will now "consider future alternative uses".