A 130-metre run of scaffolding has covered homes and shopfronts on a Borehamwood high street for more than a year, with residents and business owners saying they are being held hostage by the property firm that put it up, Leathbond.
The scaffolding, which stretches roughly 400ft, recently had its licence to remain standing extended, with Leathbond given three years just to begin the work it was erected to support, despite residents reporting injuries and shopkeepers complaining of lost trade.
The scaffolding was put up to deal with loose cladding, but residents and business owners say they were not warned in advance. Leathbond has told tenants it will not begin the work until they pay higher service charges, which have been hiked more than fourfold for some.
The street, dubbed "British Hollywood" for its film connections, was once frequented by Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey, who visited the Golden Plaice fish and chip shop while filming the Wicked musical adaptation at the nearby Sky Studios. The scaffolding-clad building also sits just yards from the BBC's EastEnders set, and residents say they can see the top of the Albert Square houses from their windows.
Grocer losing thousands in rotted stock
Komar Tourachi, 36, took over the Nza Food Store in June last year, a month before the scaffolding went up. He said he still cannot change the sign above his shop, which is blocked by the metal bars, or extend his £15,000 canopy to protect his fruit and vegetables.
Mr Tourachi pays £19,500 in rent each quarter on top of £2,900 in business rates. Since he took over, Leathbond has raised his service charge from £1,500 to £6,177 a quarter, which he called an "unfair fight". He said he was losing between £2,000 and £3,000 a week in food that rotted in the sun.
"I really don't know what to do," he said. "If I don't display anything outside then the shop would close because I cannot bring the customers in. I cannot make a proper display to welcome the customer inside. Anything I display outside, if it's not sold the same day, the next day I have to sell it for even less than the cost price. When I display it outside, all the products get destroyed by the sun."
He said he was "so worried" about continuing to rent the shop and warned that if the scaffolding stayed up for another year, "most of the businesses [in the street] will be closed". A request to have the area above his shop waterproofed was denied, he said, and it was rare to see anyone actually working on the scaffolding. "There's no one doing work on it. There's no one on the scaffolding. You never see it."
Therapy business owner says protests were ignored
At Crystal Salt Cave, which offers respiratory and relaxation therapy, co-owner Ildiko Szocs-Dee said her service charges had risen from £600 to £2,400 in one increase this year, on top of £3,800 rent and £900 in business rates each quarter. She took over the business two years ago, having worked as its manager since it was founded in 2020.
She said customer traffic had "drastically" dropped since the scaffolding covered her shop sign, and that older customers assumed there would be construction noise inside, a particular problem for a relaxation-focused business. "I love what I'm doing, I love helping people, I really love this job," she said, but added that Leathbond "ignored everything" when she tried to protest. Larger firms on the street, including Specsavers, have put up banners to tell customers they remain open.
Leaseholders say savings drained
Residents in the flats above told a similar story. Leaseholder Mark Edwards said it had become impossible to sell his two-bedroom flat since his service charge rose to around £6,000 a year, up from just £500 a few years ago. He said the extra charges had "drained my savings" and that owners had "lost a lot of trust" in the company.
Residents on the second floor had already been hit with extra charges after their rear outside staircase collapsed three years ago. They are still using a temporary installation and paying extra fees each month.
Trips and falls among residents
Residents on mobility scooters and wheelchairs have struggled to navigate the scaffolding, which is dotted with uneven wooden blocks beneath the metal rods that have caused some to trip and fall.
Sarah Keys, whose nine-year-old son Riley has cerebral palsy, said he had "tripped over the scaffolding so many times even though he's tried to navigate around it". She said: "It is so upsetting for him. He gets embarrassed as it is always in front of people, especially by the bus stop. It is just ridiculous now."
The high street's bus shelter was almost totally obscured by metal rods on the pavement, with many of the foam protectors meant to stop painful bumps ripped off or missing entirely.
Council criticism and response
Dan Ozarow, a member of the town council, said the Labour-Liberal Democrat administration in the borough had "rewarded this billion-pound company with three years to start the work". He said: "I don't think anyone was arguing that they shouldn't have put it up in the first place just for safety. Everyone recognizes that. But what everyone is so upset about is why has it been up for a year and they still haven't started work yet? They're not going to start the work until they've got all the money."
His campaign to have the scaffolding removed was branded "fake" by Paul Richards, a Liberal Democrat member of Hertsmere Council's ruling coalition. The council has faced a string of embarrassing revelations in recent months, including WhatsApp messages among Labour members calling for developments to be approved "where we can't win seats". Last year the council's Labour leader, Jeremy Newmark, branded St George's flag campaigners "nonces" and "criminals".
Hertfordshire County Council, which extended the scaffolding licence, said it did so because the work had not been completed and there remained a risk of falling cladding. Leathbond was contacted for comment.
Hertsmere Council, which holds planning responsibility, confirmed the scaffolding works were approved on 26 June 2026 with a condition that work must begin within three years. It said councils can act on scaffolding if a street licence has expired or it poses a severe nuisance or danger, but that action would fall to Hertfordshire County Council's highways team. A planning application for the collapsed staircase is still awaiting a decision. The council said it had also applied to the Valuation Office Agency for a cut in the rateable value of the affected businesses, which would reduce their business rates, and that businesses can apply to the council for hardship relief in the meantime.
