A youth centre and community hall being built in Watford that has been beset by delays is expected to be completed next year.

The £2.5 million project by the Watford Muslim Youth Centre charitable trust (WMYC) is being constructed in Tolpits Lane.

Once finished, the WMYC says the building aims to “enrich society” by offering “much-needed” facilities to all community members in the surrounding area.

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Watford Observer: A CGI of the community facility. Image: Watford Muslim Youth CentreA CGI of the community facility. Image: Watford Muslim Youth Centre (Image: Watford Muslim Youth Centre)

The ground floor will have a café and banqueting hall, while the first floor will contain a creche and classrooms for educational purposes and public hire.

Building work is around halfway complete with the project being delayed by the pandemic and Brexit, the WMYC says.

It was initially thought the facility could be ready by 2018 but the trust is now working towards a summer 2023 opening.

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Watford Observer: The construction of the community centre, pictured in May 2021. Image: Google Street ViewThe construction of the community centre, pictured in May 2021. Image: Google Street View (Image: Google Street View)

The plans in Tolpits Lane, near the junction of Hagden Lane, were granted by Watford Borough Council in 2015, two years after a 125-year lease on the land was signed by the trust with the council.

Watford Observer: A CGI of the community facility. Image: Watford Muslim Youth CentreA CGI of the community facility. Image: Watford Muslim Youth Centre (Image: Watford Muslim Youth Centre)

A ground-breaking ceremony was held in 2017 to mark the start of the construction of the community centre.

Both Richard Harrington and Dorothy Thronhill, who at the time were the MP and mayor of Watford respectively, attended.

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