Future uses are being considered as a charity building is demolished – with the site identified for “residential and community use”.

The Lemarie Centre is being knocked down, with work underway from last week, and Watford Borough Council has said it is “currently considering options for the Lemarie site”.

Charities Playskill and Watford Mencap moved out of the centre last year and into the former Nascot Lawn building in Langley Road, Watford, leaving the building vacant before it suffered fire and flooding damage.

Watford mayor Peter Taylor said: “We are currently considering options for the Lemarie site. It is important that any future use is right for the area and meets our planning policy requirements.

“The Watford Local Plan has identified the site for a mixed-use development to include residential and community use.”

Watford Observer: Lemarie Centre demolition workLemarie Centre demolition work (Image: Stephen Danzig)

The Local Plan gives a one-to-five-year timescale for redevelopment and says it is considered suitable for both residential use or “meeting places for community use”.

It also specified work should “avoid significant adverse impacts” on the nearby library.

The mayor added that the building “has reached the end of its life”. He said: “Making it useable would be extremely expensive. Leaving it unused makes it a target for antisocial behaviour and vandalism, posing a threat to the safety and well-being of the surrounding community.

Watford Observer: The Lemarie Centre after suffering damageThe Lemarie Centre after suffering damage (Image: Stephen Danzig)

"On a positive note, the closure of Lemarie Centre marked a new chapter for the previous occupants Watford Mencap. With support from the council, the charity relocated to 92a Langley Road.

“I know that they are really happy in their new home and they now have a hub for similar activities run by other groups and organisations.”

After the charities moved out, six fire engines responded to a fire at the Lemarie Centre in March last year.

Watford Observer: The initial response to the fireThe initial response to the fire (Image: Zoe Tunstall)

The fire was recorded as arson but police confirmed all lines of enquiry were exhausted with no suspects identified.

It then suffered damage from “serious flooding” in the basement in December 2022, the burst pipes were believed to be caused by “frost and thaw” following the end of the cold snap during the winter.