Watford Town Centre

Transformation of Four Car Parks serving Watford Town Centre shops, amenities and The Harlequin Shopping Centre

Improving customers' overall shopping experience was one of the main aims behind the decision of Capital Shopping Centres PLC (CSC) to undertake a major refurbishment of the four satellite car parks serving Watford Town Centre.

Watford Borough Council lease the car parks to CSC who manage and operate them in conjunction with their own three modern car parks that are integrated with The Harlequin Shopping Centre. A concept was developed to alter the primary focus in the local authority car parks from cars to people and to address the public's perception that these car parks were generally unpleasant to use.

Improved circulation, signage, lighting, safety and security measures were the objectives which, once met, would provide a more pleasant and relaxing primary contact point for shoppers. CSC commissioned a report from V&A Design, leading consultants to the shopping centre industry, in conjunction with John Foreman & Partners, the project managers, and Triflex (UK) Ltd, the nominated product and system supplier.

Considerable structural repairs were also required, including the upgrading of all movement joints and the laying of a new trafficking course. The whole contract could only take some eight months to complete and in addition, the car parks were to remain accessible to the public during the refurbishment. The tight timescale meant that works needed to be run concurrently on the four separate car parks in different locations within Watford Town Centre, requiring careful traffic management to ensure the safety of the public when passing through working areas.

John Foreman & Partners - a long-established practice of building surveyors - needed to select a main contractor experienced in time constrained projects and able to accommodate the complexities of the programme. The main contractor selected was Rio Asphalt & Paving Co Ltd of Birmingham which in turn employed Connaught Specialist Contracts Ltd for the structural works and Veitchi (England) Ltd for the installation of the internal deck waterproofing and surfacing. The project team also included consulting engineers Clarke Nicholls & Marcel and quantity surveyors Cyril Sweett & Partners.

Triflex became involved with the project at the design concept stage and produced 3D computer generated visuals, prepared the system specifications in co-operation with the project team, manufactured and supplied all of the waterproofing and surfacing materials including is new Dynamic Marking System and provided the Lloyds-bonded warranties on all systems supplied.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We wanted to offer the shoppers who use the local authority car parks the same high standards of security, cleanliness and service that they have come to expect in the Harlequin, so we brought together a team of people who could transform the existing car park environment into places which are safer - with brighter lighting, CCTV, voice-linked help stations and constant security guard patrols. Car parks which are user-friendly - colour co-ordinated floor markings and signage, designated disabled and parent and baby spaces on every floor, and a public address system for emergencies. Car parks which are more pleasant places to be in - state of the art lift technology, regular cleaning patrols and brighter, reflective floor and wall surfacing. In short, car parks designed not for cars but for people."

Mike Pearse,
Capital Shopping Centres,
Harlequin Centre Manager


"As the main contractor Rio Asphalt recognised from the beginning of its involvement that the success of this project lay in efficient planning, co-ordination and supervision. The project's duration required works to be carried out on all four car parks simultaneously. This meant that a strictly controlled programme was essential, not only to maintain continuity of works around the four isolated sites, but also to ensure that at all times CSC were left with the optimum number of parking spaces."

Malcolm Raithby,
Rio Asphalt