A pub could still be converted into flats after a developer returned with a revised application.

Setha Sparrow Lane Ltd want to turn The Royal Oak in Bushey into flats but were knocked back by the planning committee at Hertsmere Borough Council in September.

Councillors were concerned that the development would be too big for the area while there were also worries about access to the site, which lies in Sparrows Herne, a main route through Bushey.

Initial hopes were for eight flats including a three-storey side and rear extension.

The applicant says it has taken the feedback on board and the revised design takes into account concerns about size. The side extension is now two-storey matching the height of the existing building.

Seven two-bedroom flats, rather than eight, are proposed this time around.

Work has also taken place to ensure a “safe means of entry and exit” to the site.

Addressing the loss of the pub, the applicant says Bushey is well served by pubs and "the site is within 300 metres of The Red Lion and within 400 metres of The Three Crowns". 

Last year, the Royal Oak went through a renovation, and speaking to the Watford Observer back in September, general manager Warwick Clough said he was “delighted” with the committee’s decision to refuse but knew they “weren’t out of the woods yet”.

The planning application can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2YH1vXg