A retirement village consisting of 250 homes will be built on the Health Campus site in a bid to "ease bed pressure" at a nearby hospital.

Plans were unveiled for the site – which is now known as Watford Riverwell – at a Cabinet Meeting at Watford Town Hall this evening (Monday, June 5).

The £350m Health Campus scheme has previously been described as an “ambitious plan to transform the land surrounding Watford General Hospital over the next 10 to 15 years”, creating an estimated 1,500 new jobs.

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With the partnership of Watford Borough Council, the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and developers Kier, the development will also include the creation of a retirement village in the Riverside area that people could move into as early as next year.

During the meeting, the council's managing director Manny Lewis said the homes - which will be comprised of two bedroom and one bedroom units - could “offer support” for elderly people who need care.

He said: “We live in a fast aging population and people need housing as they get older.

“Around 40 per cent of people in Watford will be over 65 by 2030 and so demand for retirement homes is really high.

“People will own their own properties but the homes could also offer care beds and support for the elderly that may ease pressure off hospital and social care departments.”

Over the next few years, a 160 bed hotel will also be built, as well as a new primary school and a new community centre and garden.

Mr Lewis added Watford General Hospital is also prioritising “improving” its carpark with a new design of 1,200 spaces that will “not have a strong visual presence” in the area.

Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill, who attended the Cabinet Meeting, said: “This has been a long process but getting it to this stage is something we should be proud of.”