The Mayor of Watford says joining forces with neighbouring councils will help the borough cope with being forced to build new homes.

Watford committed to working with its South West Hertfordshire neighbours on a joint strategic plan for growth at a full council meeting on Tuesday.

Watford Borough Council, Hertsmere Borough Council, St Albans City and District Council, Three Rivers District Council and Dacorum Borough Council are set to work together to cope with the Governemnt’s demands to build new homes in south west Hertfordshire.

The Government has called on urban councils to increase their housing numbers and approve more development but not to “tear up the green belt” in the process.

However, Dorothy Thornhill says the joint strategic plan will deal with issues that go beyond individual council boundaries to ensure infrastructure – such as transport, schools, health and sewerage – are properly delivered.

She said: “For the past decade we have been struggling along trying to meet our housing targets and although Watford has been reaching just above our targets, the decisions are becoming more difficult and controversial about where to put them.

“We have felt like we are banging our heads against a brick wall as we cannot go on and meet these targets of building yet more thousands of homes.

“This means we all need to work together and find land to place these new settlements as well as think about infrastructure issues such as new schools.”

Mayor Thornhill highlighted that land in Watford has already been allocated for development, such as the £350million Riverwell Scheme near Watford General Hospital.

However she added that Watford has no green belt to offer unlike the neighbouring areas.

As a result, the five councils will work together to identify suitable areas to share the burden of building new homes and provide improve essential local transport links, health services and educational facilities.

Mayor Thornhill said: “This is a cross-party issue to meet housing targets as this is not just a problem for Watford.

“The plan is to work together to identify land and earmark more places in Hertfordshire that will be able to cope with new homes.

“We have got a long journey ahead of us as it will not happen overnight but ultimately the answer is garden villages.”

The councils will work towards agreeing this strategic framework through preparation of a Statement of Common Ground, which is expected to be published in the summer.

Watford Observer:

A map of the neighbouring boroughs in south west Hertfordshire