Watford’s former skate park in Lower Derby Road will be sold to a developer, councillors decided last week, opening the way for about 59 homes on the site and triggering a last-minute petition aimed at protecting the land. The Liberal Democrat cabinet agreed on 1 July to dispose of the closed skate park together with adjoining empty offices and a car‑wash garage, tasking officers with marketing the plot and selecting a buyer.
Marketing is expected to start at the end of summer, though the decision is subject to a call-in period that ends on 9 July, before it can take full effect. Meanwhile, a 30‑signature petition demanding the land be kept as a community asset will be formally presented to the full council on 14 July.
The skate park closed in 2021 when the council opened a replacement at Oxhey Activity Park, a £4.6 million facility that has been operating since September 2020. The Lower Derby Road site, designed by young riders and spread across 1,300 square metres, was allocated for housing in the 2022 Local Plan. In 2024 the borough bought neighbouring land from Hertfordshire County Council to piece together a single larger development, described by officials as an improved scheme.
Residents are split. One petition, started by people living at nearby Rainbow House who lack parking permits, pushes for a car park, arguing the old skate park is seldom used for skating and has become a spot for drug use and nuisance behaviour. A rival “Save Watford Skatepark” campaign was launched by local skater Charlie Swan, who insists the town needs more third spaces where young people can be active, form friendships and build confidence.
Penelope Hill, the council’s portfolio holder for property, said reliable public transport links make the location suitable for a development without parking, aligning with the authority’s goal of cutting car dependency. Mayor Peter Taylor added that sale receipts would be reinvested in council priorities, including improvements to basketball and cricket provision.
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