"There was a warm welcome this week for plans by Tesco to develop a giant superstore in Watford’s Lower High Street.”

It’s not very often you see the words “welcome” and “Tesco” in the same sentence these days, but this was in October 1984, beginning a story headed “£11m boost for Lower High Street”.

It was hoped at the time the development would revitalise the area and provide around 400 jobs – and when you look at what was there before, pictured below, it succeeded on both counts.

The news feature, which appeared in the Watford Observer of October 12, 1984, continues: “The superstore will be on a mainly derelict 15-acre site between Lower High Street and George Stephenson College in Water Lane.

“Instead of the ‘huge box’ look common to some supermarkets, the superstore building is going to have pitched roofs, good quality brickwork and conventional red roof tiles.”

It’s easy, of course, to say that before the thing’s been built – particularly if you’re after planning permission – but, as you can see from the artist’s impression at the top of this page, what we got was very close to what was proposed.

George Stephenson College, by the way, was ultimately merged into West Herts College in 1991 and was, apparently, built on stilts because of the danger of flooding. It used to stand where the Tesco petrol station is now.

Anyway, back to the report.

“The River Colne runs through the site,” the Observer article states, “and the design makes the most of this feature. There will be an attractive bridge across the river with a roof and clocktower. There will be paved areas with seating for the elderly.

“Mainly a food store with a sales area of 44,500 square feet, the superstore will have a bakery and a coffee shop.

“A surface level car park with around 750 spaces is to be provided and operated by Tesco. A petrol filling station is also planned for the site. Tesco will be contributing towards the implementation of parts of Watford’s central highways network.

“This will not only improve access to the site but will generally assist in solving some of Watford’s long-standing traffic problems.”

Bruce McMillan, the council’s chief executive, said the store’s proximity to the town centre was important. It was, he said, an extension of the town centre not in competition with it.

But it wasn’t just Tesco which was interested in the site. Asda, which two years previously had lost its bid to have a superstore near the Watford Met station, was one of four rival bidders for the site.

As for Sainsbury’s, it was, at the time, building its supermarket at the other end of the High Street. Asked by the Watford Observer if it saw the proposed Tesco superstore development as the start of a shopping war, it’s reply was terse and concise.

“We never comment on our competitors,” a spokesman said. So there!

Below: The site which became Tesco Extra, and the Waterfields Retail Park, which was first discussed 30 years ago this month.

Watford Observer: