Cassiobury House, where Watford County Court & Family Court is currently based. Credit: Tellon Capital Watford County Court & Family Court could be relocated to another building in the town centre. An application has been submitted to move the court from its current home in Cassiobury House to Royalty House in King Street. The lease at Cassiobury House is expiring and the Station Road building is to be knocked down and replaced with a 168-bed hotel and offices. Royalty House is around 30 years old and the six-storey building is currently unoccupied. The plans seek to renovate and refurbish the building into a new County & Family Court.
But the City of Southampton Society raised some concerns about the proposed walkway. Group member Simon Reynier said: “Early design showed the walkway to the city walls enhanced by shops and restaurants. “It was a destination in its own right. Now it is nearly a passage between the High Street and Queensway.” But Bargate councillor Sarah Bogle said “on balance this development is a positive scheme”. It comes as developers initially proposed to build 287 homes, a new hotel and 7,343 square metres of retail space. But the plans were amened last year, proposing 519 flats in buildings ranging from four to 13-storeys and a total of 2,515 square meters of retail space.
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BASINGSTOKE train station has come under fire for failing to acknowledge the needs of homeless people, with regard to its platform seating. One Twitter user, who was passing through the station on their way from London to Portsmouth, posted a picture of the sheltered platform benches, currently cordoned off, with the caption: “Very disappointed to see Basingstoke train station invest in anti-homeless shelters. A travesty.” Speaking to the Gazette, they added: “I was just so appalled. Homeless and those struggling with addiction need support, that is where money should go to, not these inhumane things that are not just incredibly uncomfortable for passengers but designed especially so that the homeless cannot lay down.”