Hertsmere Borough Council has submitted plans to turn an "eyesore" piece of land into 52 homes.

After the former Directors Arms pub in Cranes Way was demolished last year, the council now wants to get rid of the vacant garages on site, and convert the whole site into residential use.

The proposals at the Borehamwood site are for 52 homes including 34 flats and 18 townhouses, with the apartments in a block of up to five storeys.

Of the 52 homes, 24 will be affordable, including 18 flats - which meets the council's policy that 35 per cent of a new development has affordable housing.

The scheme would provide 72 parking spaces in total, 31 cycle spaces, and electric vehicle charging points.

Borehamwood Times:

The apartment block steps down in height. Credit: Michael Dyson Associates

Borehamwood Times:

Townhouses form part of the proposals. Credit: Michael Dyson Associates

The land is brownfield and has been identified by the council as a suitable place for residential redevelopment to help meet its housing targets.

Planning documents describe the current site as "in a state of disrepair" and an "eyesore" to the surrounding area. The council adds the whole site has had a "long history" of anti-social behaviour.

Borehamwood Times:

An overview of the site, outlined in red (pre-demolition of pub)

Borehamwood Times:

What the site could look like once completed, if approved

The proposed scheme will "enhance the social, environmental and economic values within the surrounding area", the council says, while the proposed materials for the buildings "reflect the local character", and "distinct design features give the development an identity which is unique and which aligns with the councils ideology of the area".

The plans are currently out for consultation with 27 objections lodged.

Borehamwood locals will remember the Bull and Tiger, as the pub was formerly known, as a popular place to go for a pint and take part in sports socials.

The pub was built in the 1950s, but in 1999, it was boarded up, revamped, and then rebranded as the Directors Arms, in recognition of the town’s film and television studios.

Borehamwood Times:

Directors Arms, on the corner of Ripon Way and Cranes Way, before it was demolished

But the Directors Arms closed in March 2019 after the agent representing brewers Scottish and Newcastle (now defunct) informed the council the brewers wanted to sell its lease, with 15 years still to run.

The council, which has the freehold for the site, had to buy out its own lease, using funds from the council's capital reserves.

Since then, the pub has been demolished.

The planning application can be found here.

A decision on this application will be made by Hertsmere Borough Council's planning committee.