A bridge over the pond, less clunky street furniture and more trees and green spaces make up proposals to dramatically revamp the northern end of Watford town centre.

Designers commissioned by Watford Borough Council unveiled their vision for the top end of The Parade this week as part of a £4m regeneration scheme.

The plans, which will now go out to consultation, are for a much less cluttered Parade with space for public events and a cleaner pond.

The main features included: a wooden footbridge over the pond connecting the east and west banks. The pond itself will be smartened up, with the water cleaned, new foliage and new bordering.

The weir feature of the pond is set to go and there will be large steps leading down to the water for people to sit on.

The cycle lane markings in The Parade is set to be removed and the street opened up as an expansive pedestrian area.

Yet the cycle lane will remain in the underpass under Rickmansworth Road and one of the stairs cases leading up from the subway will be removed.

A line of trees will be planted across The Parade’s boundary with Rickmansworth Road, in a new raised grassy area.

South of the pond there will be more grassy areas with trees created.

The current plans do not show the Memory Wall, which was erected in The Parade in 2001, nor the large concrete balls that flank the vehicle acccess through the Parade. .

The designers, from the firm BDP, said they envision the new uncluttered Parade to be a space that will facilitate more outdoor events.

Two of the mock-ups they produced showed the street being used as the setting for an outdoor market and a music concert.

Mark Savage, who gave the presentation for BDP, said the overwhelming message the firm had got from consulting with the public over the plans was that they wanted the pond to remain.

As a result he said the plans had been designed to give the historic water feature a new lease of life.

"99.9 per cent want the pond to be retained," he said during the presentation in Oceana.

"It is a very important asset and a very unique asset. They would like to retain it and they would like it improved."

Now the provisional plans have been drawn up they will be showcased to the public at forthcoming events and in the council offices.

A series of drop in sessions are also being planned in June in Charter Place, Watford Central Library, Watford Town Hall and by the pond itself.

The firm said the plans were not cast iron and that aspects would be changed if they met with public disapproval.

Construction is slated to start in early 2013 and the work is expected to take around a year to complete.

The plans have come about as part of a drive by Watford’s elected mayor, Dorothy Thornhill, to draw more businesses to that part of the town by making it a more presentable environment.

At Wednesday’s meeting she said: "This whole agenda is about the economic prosperity of Watford. It is important that we as a council invest in the infrastructure in difficult times.

"It is no good waiting until things get better as by then we will be on the back foot and we want to be on the front foot."

The mayor also stressed that the £4.3million being spent on the project came from capital money which had to be spent on infrastructure.

"I hope that, like me, you will be excited by it," she added. "But no doubt there will be some things where you think you are not sure about that.

"We want to come up with master plan we can all be proud of."

Anyone who has thoughts on the design of The Parade can email their comments to the designers at whatifwatford@bdp.com