A proposal to extend and upgrade the garden of a pub set to reopen after seven years has been approved.

A £600,000 "top-to-toe revamp" is planned at an Elstree High Street former pub, which will be revived under the name The Plough.

Plans to replace signs and refresh the exterior were already approved in August, and Hertsmere Borough Council gave the green light to garden works on Thursday (November 17).

Giving its reasons for granting permission, Hertsmere Borough Council highlighted how, alongside internal alterations to improve the layout and functionality of the pub, the new garden would “reignite” the use of the establishment and not harm the area.

Under the plan, a timber-framed pergola extension would be built on a raised patio, featuring sliding doors and a partly retractable polycarbonate and fabric roof.

Watford Observer: CGI showing how the pub would look when it reopensCGI showing how the pub would look when it reopens (Image: Star Pubs & Bars)

New steps down from the raised area, set to be raised further, would be built and an airstream caravan would be placed to the side of them to act as a temporary bar for customers in the garden.

“A general tidying up” is also needed for the garden, the application said, including LED lights.

Watford Observer: How the pub looked earlier this year, from the front.How the pub looked earlier this year, from the front. (Image: Star Pubs & Bars)

Before most recently becoming Italian Restaurant Kiss Kiss, the long-vacant site had been operated as a Chinese restaurant called East but before that it had been a pub called The Plough, which it will revert to.

Star Pubs & Bars, a subsidiary of Heineken, has said it has “extensive plans” aiming to transform the boarded-up premises into a “premium local and a great destination food pub with a reputation for quality food and cask ales”.