A plan to build over 100 new homes on an old industrial site in West Watford has been voted through, despite being branded a “gross over development” by residents.

Councillors approved an application to develop the Rembrandt House site on Whippendell Road by a tight five votes to three majority at a meeting on Thursday.

Planning bosses had recommended that the development control committee pass the scheme which will see the area turned into 107 new homes including 12 residential blocks and four blocks of flats.

Rembrandt House itself is set to be retained and refurbished for business and community use.

The plan has met strong opposition from people living nearby who say the area is one of the most densely populated in Watford and cannot cope with a development that will attract hundreds more.

At the meeting school teacher Graham Hall addressed councillors on behalf of residents objecting to the plan and said the area's roads, shops, schools, doctors surgeries were already inadequate to deal the number of people living there.

He said the development would bring up to 300 new people and place extra pressure on an already over-crowded part of the town.

“The plan, I feel, is too big and not a development,” said Mr Hall, “but a gross overdevelopment for an already very, very over-crowded site in the Watford area.”

One of the main concerns voiced was about the amount of extra traffic the new homes will draw to the area.

The development includes plans for a new access road linking Hagden Lane and King George’s Avenue build, which will run parallel with Whippendell Road.

Developers said they intend to put bollards across the new road to prevent it from becoming a rat-run for drivers looking to avoid the congested junction at Whippendell Road and Hagden Road.

Highways bosses at Hertfordshire County Council said they had no objection to the development subject to the agreement from the developer to make a £89,250 contribution to local infrastructure.

A number of councillors spoke against the application including Labour’s Nigel Bell and Asif Khan as well as Conservative Malcolm Meerabux.

Councillor Bell said he wanted to see more affordable housing in Watford but that the development was too much for the area.

The plan was also opposed by Councillor Meerabux, who represents the Park area of Watford, on the grounds that West Watford is already one of most densely populated areas in the town.

“I think we are going to worsen the living experience for a lot of people,” said Councillor Meerabux.

However the plans found support among Liberal Democrat councillors on the committee.

Alan Burtenshaw, who represents the Woodside area, said: “We all want utopia and to live in a wonderful land where birds are singing and there are green gardens, but it isn’t like that.

“Unfortunately we have got to deal with what we are presented and this development is much like any other.”

In the end the application was passed five votes to three with councillors Bell, Khan and Meerabux voting against and Liberal Democrats George Derbyshire, Mark Watkin, Alan Burtenshaw Karen Collett and Peter Jeffree for.