Planning permission has been granted to turn a town centre building into a court.
Royalty House in King Street is to be renovated and refurbished and become the new home of Watford County & Family Court, following a decision by Watford Borough Council.
The court is in need of a new home with its current site, Cassiobury House in Station Road, to be demolished and redeveloped into a hotel and offices.
Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service have been on the lookout for a replacement site and the six-storey Royalty House was identified.
The building, which is is around 30 years old, is currently unoccupied.
According to the planning officer's decision, the application to move the court to Royalty House is considered "acceptable" and the town centre location has been noted as "accessible".
The proposed external changes to the building have been described as "relatively modest in number and scale".
Letters of consultation were sent to 133 neighbouring properties with no objections received.
It is unknown when Royalty House will officially begin operating as the new court, but conditions attached to the planning permission state development must begin within the next three years.
Watford County Court deals with civil matters and can involve both individuals and businesses.
Types of civil cases dealt within a County Court include businesses trying to recover money they are owed, individuals seeking compensation for injuries, and landowners seeking orders that will prevent trespass.
The family court deals with disputes involving families, including disputes that involve parents and custody over children.
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