Fears for motorists' safety on a busy dual carriageway were unable to prevent plans for 15 new flats in north Watford winning approval.

Cairnpark Properties Ltd have permission to build the flats in a part-two, part-three storey building with access from a new junction with the A405 North Orbital Road, on land close to Woodside Leisure Park.

However, the decision made last night by Watford Borough Council's development control committee was “out of their hands”, following a planning inspector's ruling earlier this year.

A previous application from Cairnpark Properties for outline permission to build nine flats on the same site was refused by the committee in June 2008 because it was considered to be a high density development in an unsustainable location and the new access was detrimental to highway safety, among other reasons.

However, a planning inspector later granted permission under appeal in April this year.

This meant council officers could find “no grounds for refusing the current application” as it was similar to the plan approved by the inspector.

Speaking at last night's meeting, Ken Emmons, from the Kingswood Residents' Association, objected against the new access road that would link the development with the A405 North Orbital Road.

He said: “The proposed access in our opinion is dangerous and unsafe in its present form.

“How the applicant can claim Derwent Close is more dangerous than this proposal, which is 120 metres from the 'longabout', is beyond belief. The only real solution is to introduce a slip road. It's the only alternative to an unsafe and ill-considered proposal.”

However, Councillor Iain Sharpe said the committees hands were tied by the inspector's “rotten” decision.

He said: “It's pretty much out of our hands. The planning inspector thought it was all fine and splendid. They have entirely rejected the council's position and instead the inspector has said they can go ahead.

“It's something that annoys us intensely. I think the original decision was the right decision and the inspector's decision was the wrong decision.”

Councillor George Derbyshire added: “This is a different application. It's not the same application. It does seem to me it's significantly different in scale and that in itself has an impact on the number of traffic movements.”

Suggestions that a condition could be applied to force a new road layout were later rejected by planning officer Paul Baxter, who said that no changes to the access road could be forced as the inspector had approved the existing layout.

Members of the committee unanimously approved the plans.