Plans to build a new 124-room hotel close to Watford Junction station have been approved.

The town’s fourth Premier Inn is due to be built on the site of an existing industrial building on Bridle Path, just 100m from the town’s main railway station and right next to a Holiday Inn Express.

The building, which will stand at nine storeys tall at its highest point, will contain a café/restaurant and bar yet have no on-site parking, a decision considered “appropriate” given its proximity to the station.

The Premier Inn chain already has a hotel on Water Lane in Watford with an occupancy rate of more than 87 per cent, although this branch is expected to perform significantly better due to its prime location.

Its other hotels outside of central Watford are on St Albans Road and Ascot Road. 

It is estimated that the £7.2m project will generate more than 40 full time hotel and restaurant jobs.

Planning permission has been granted subject to a number of conditions, including building commencing within three years.

In the proposal, a number of positive traits attributed to Watford make it the “perfect visitor destination” for tourists, including its “positive town centre performance, its strong night-time economy, the number of nearby large scale tourist attractions, its premiership football team and an excellent transport network.”

It adds: “These factors all make Watford a perfect visitor destination that requires hotel accommodation.”

Watford has seen a rise in the number of proposals for tall buildings of up to 25 storeys recently, with the area around Watford Junction one of the only locations considered suitable for the construction of such structures.

The proposal states: “Tall buildings have the potential to add significant value to Watford. Well located and well designed, they can enhance skylines and provide recognisable landmarks that can serve to promote the town.

“A cluster of tall buildings can, if carefully located, also add to the legibility of the town, indicating a gateway to the town centre or a commercial hub. However, poorly sited and badly considered elevated structures can have significant adverse impacts.”