New cinema plan 'addresses concerns' (From Watford Observer)

New cinema plan 'addresses concerns'

1:34pm Monday 22nd January 2007

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REVISED plans for a £40million city centre residential development, complete with a seven-screen cinema, will answer critics who scuppered earlier schemes, advocates insist.

Councillor Melvyn Teare, culture and heritage portfolio holder, has been in charge of the troubled project for nearly three years.

He said: "This is a much better design and it addresses all the concerns."

The Henry Davidson plans, which can be viewed at a public exhibition in the Town Hall until Saturday, propose two separate buildings between Bricket Road and the district council offices, divided by a pedestrianised street. The buildings would be built on top of an underground car park.

The previous scheme, which envisaged an eight-storey monolithic block built on the Bricket Road car park site, provoked numerous complaints before it was withdrawn in May.

The latest proposal has been criticised for only including ten per cent affordable housing.

However, Andy Radford of Henry Davidson said this would increase if the project's profits, dependant on property prices when it is completed, allowed.

The scheme was chosen after a working group including councillors and other local figures chose the two-building options over two other concepts.

Mr Radford argued that the scheme would much improve Bricket Road, currently hemmed in by the wall of the car park, saying: "The new street addresses the issues of public access."

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