Plans to turn vacant storage units into homes have been approved after first being submitted in 2021.

Units 3 and 4 at 57 Bushey Grove Road are set to become seven residential units, made up of five two-bedroom flats and two studios, after plans were approved by Hertsmere Borough Council last week.

It was initially proposed as an eight-home scheme in August 2021 before concerns over amenity space and overlook were raised by council officers.

A final set of amended plans were then produced with input from the officers, in October 2022, and these saw the overall number of flats reduced to seven units and the proportion of two-bedroom flats increased.

The site has remained vacant since May 2019, it had been marketed at the time but the council was shown evidence that "even at a reduced rental rate" demand had apparently been "limited".

Details from the letting agent advised that the lack of space for large vehicles to turn load and park was an issue for businesses looking for space in the Watford area. It was also seen as more outdated than nearby storage sites.

Watford Observer: The storage units in Bushey Grove Road.The storage units in Bushey Grove Road. (Image: Google Street View)

Adjacent buildings have already been given permission for conversion to residential, leaving the building as the last one that remained in employment use at the site.

All of the proposed flats met minimum floorspace standards, with the studios to be build at the exact minimum (37 square metres).