Plan refused to turn Whippendell Road house into flats

The developer, VIC Construction Limited, also wanted to build a part two-storey and part single-storey rear extension, and carry out a loft conversion in the Whippendell Road home in Watford.

Had it been approved, there would be a one three-bedroom flat, one two-bed flat and one one-bedroom flat built.

The upstairs flats would have been accessed via stairs at the current doorway, while flat A, on the ground floor, would be accessed from a door provided by a side extension.

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But on October 17, Watford Borough Council issued a decision notice saying it refused the application because the extensions would not appear proportionate to the original building and its surrounding area.  

The officer added: “Furthermore, the design of the proposal appears awkward and disjointed due to the attachment of the two-storey rear extension and dormers and the stepped height of the dormers.”

In addition, the notice said the application does not demonstrate compliance with the Technical Housing Standards. The plans do not show built-in storage space to meet the minimum standards.

The front of the house in The house in Whippendell Road (Image: Google Street View)

The proposed plans also do not show that the second floor one-bedroom flat would comply with the minimum gross internal floor area and minimum to floor ceiling heights.

The officer concluded: “Therefore, the proposed development would fail to provide acceptable living conditions for future occupiers.”

It was also decided that the plans did not demonstrate that bin and cycle storage would be large enough.

There was also a concern about an increase in parking on the road.

The decision came after the planning application received three public objections from people who lived nearby.

All three said there were more than enough flats in the area.

The back of the house in Whippendell Road (Image: Riverway Group)

One person asked: “Do we really need to start converting houses into flats considering the number of flats currently available in the area?”

Another said: “There is a shortage of family homes in West Watford, not flats.”

A third person said to add more homes to the location “feels totally unacceptable” because the area is already busy.

They were also concerned about an increase in cars.

VIC Construction Limited has been approached for a comment.