Permission for a closed workshop to be turned into flats has been blocked.

The former The Upholstery Workshop unit in Orbital Crescent, near where the A41 meets the A405 in Leavesden, was the subject of a notification of change of use application to Watford Borough Council submitted last month.

The applicant sought to use permitted development rights to turn it into a two-bedroom home.

However, to be classed as a permitted development an applicant must prove that the site was vacant for three months prior to submission and continuously used for its prior purpose for at least two years before that.

The council said that no evidence was provided to demonstrate either point.

Further, due to not providing built-in storage space the home would not meet nationally described space standards. The proposal also did not include on-site cycle storage, which conflicts with WBC's Local Plan.

Watford Observer: The Upholstery Workshop.The Upholstery Workshop. (Image: Google Street View)

The council therefore ruled that prior approval would be required for the work but refused to give it, in a decision notice today (January 22).

Three neighbours objected to the proposal, with one mentioning a fence that had already been built around the former customer parking on the site.

A retrospective planning application has now been submitted for the fence.

Orbital Crescent was formerly a mix or shops and homes, but the proposal highlighted that there is only one shop remaining in Orbital Crescent — the Costcutter opposite the vacant workshop.