Plan to turn Grade II Old Station House into a pub submitted

The Old Station House, between the railway line and Watford Cross development in St Albans Road, has been vacant for six years and “it’s condition continues to deteriorate”, according to applicant CESA Developments Limited.

Its planning application, submitted yesterday (July 31), seeks permission to demolish a “dilapidated” shed next to it, add contemporary extensions, refurbish the interior, replace an incomplete concrete ramp with metal wheelchair access, and carry out external works.

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Images attached to the application showing the current state of the building. (Image: Watford Council planning portal/CESA Developments Limited/Nissen Richards.)

All these changes are being proposed with the intention of bringing it back into use as a boozer, run by Failte Ventures which has had success running similarly compact establishments (The Bricklayer’s Arms and Finley’s Wine Bar and Bottle Shop in Putney).

Once the Eight Gardens development is complete, the site will be surrounded by large developments, with thousands of residents set to live a short walk from the location. The applicant hopes this would provide the pub with the strong customer base it needs to be a success.

“The small pocket of land on which the Old Station House is located, wedged between the railway line, new large-scale residential developments and St Albans Road, is currently neglected but has the potential to successfully provide a new suitable use,” the applicant said.

Proposed floorplan. (Image: Watford Council planning portal/CESA Developments Limited/Nissen Richards.)

“The significance of the Grade II listed Old Station House has represented a central element of the design process since its inception.

“A heritage-led approach has been employed when devising the proposal for the conservation and re-use of the Listed Building, as well as when designing the new contemporary additions.

“These will breathe new life into the listed building while preserving its significance.”

CGI showing how the pub would look. (Image: Watford Council planning portal/CESA Developments Limited/Nissen Richards.)

Designs aim to preserve the character of the building, most recently an MOT centre, by physically separating it from the modern extension via a short walkway and otherwise largely leaving it intact.

The bar and kitchen would be within the extension while most of the seating and bathrooms are set to be housed in the original building.

In the 19th century, The Clarendon Arms inn is believed to have stood in roughly the same location, as part of the original Watford railway station there before Watford Junction.

CGI showing how the proposed extension would look. (Image: Watford Council planning portal/CESA Developments Limited/Nissen Richards.)