Plans for flats in Watford high street to be decided in September

The plans seek to demolish two existing three-storey buildings and create one new building of up to eight storeys.

The development site is situated in the high street, between Clarendon Road and the Atria Watford shopping centre extension.

The proposals include a mixture of one and two-bed flats, with four storeys on the High Street, stepping up to eight storeys into Wellstones.

Retail or commercial space is proposed on the ground floor.

Access to the flats would be via Wellstones and a planning document prepared by planning agents Nissen Richards Studio says a new footpath will be installed in Wellstones.

A private courtyard would be created within the development.

The two buildings to the right of Kokoro could be demolished. Credit: Stephen Danzig

The development is designed to be car-free with no parking proposed. Watford Borough Council has described this as a "sustainable" location and car-free developments will make a "valuable contribution towards addressing climate change".

A financial viability assessment has been published which concludes it is "not technically viable to provide any sort of affordable housing in order to generate a profit level usually considered appropriate for funding and building this type of development".

To the right of the proposed development site is the Moon Under Water Wetherspoon pub. Credit: Stephen Danzig

The buildings that would be demolished to make way for this development are locally listed. Keech Hospice Care charity shop currently operates in part of the site with the rest boarded up.

The scheme has been recommended for approval by Watford Borough Council planning officer Alice Reade.

The application will be discussed by Watford Borough Council's planning committee at a meeting on September 7.